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gormless

adjective
gorm·​less | \ ˈgȯrm-lÉ™s How to pronounce gormless (audio) \

Definition of gormless

chiefly British
: lacking intelligence : stupid
Other Words from gormless Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about gormless

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Other Words from gormless

gormlessness noun, chiefly British

Did You Know?

Gormless began life as the English dialect word gaumless, which was altered to the modern spelling when it expanded into wider use in the late 19th century. The origins of gaumless are easy to understand; the word derives from a combination of the dialect noun gaum, meaning "attention" or "understanding," and the suffix -less. Gaum also functions as a verb in some dialects, where it means "to pay attention to" and "to understand." An unrelated verb gaum means "to behave in a stupid or awkward manner." There's also a noun gaum, meaning "a stupid doltish person." But none of these are as commonly used nowadays as gormless, which itself is most frequently seen in British English.

Examples of gormless in a Sentence

a comedy show that invariably portrays the British aristocracy as a bunch of gormless twits

Recent Examples on the Web

 Much of the movie unfolds inside the suburban Connecticut mansion where Lily lives with her gormless mother (Francie Swift) and her loathsome stepdad. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "Cory Finley's 'Thoroughbreds' is a delectably twisted mean-girls noir," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gormless.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of gormless

1883, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for gormless

alteration of English dialect gaumless, from gaum attention, understanding (from Middle English gome, from Old Norse gaum, gaumr) + -less

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More Definitions for gormless

gormless

adjective
How to pronounce gormless (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of gormless

British, informal : very stupid or foolish

See the full definition for gormless in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on gormless

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with gormless

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gormless

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