English Explanatory Dictionary

dunce

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An unintelligent person.

Pronunciation

/dʌns/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-dunce.wav

Word forms

dunce dunces

Etymology

1530, named after John Duns Scotus (c. 1266–1308). Scotus was ironically a well-known Scottish thinker; his followers, however, opposed the philosophers of the Renaissance, and thus "dunce" was first used to describe someone rejecting new knowledge in 1530; later, any person deemed stupid.

Synonyms

idiot addle-brain addlehead addle pate airhead baboon beanbrain beetlebrain beetlehead berk bimbo birdbrain blockhead blubberbrain bonehead Boeotian boob bozo brainlet brickhead bubblehead bubble brain bufflehead buffoon Charlie chowderhead chucklehead chump cittern-head clod clodpate clot clown crackhead cretin cuckoo deadhead dimbo dim bulb dimbus dimwit dingbat ding dong dingleberry dingwad dip dipstick doldrum dolt donut doodle doof doofoid doofus dope dork drivel drongo drool bucket dullard

Derived words

bedunce dunce cap duncedom dunce hat duncehead duncehood duncelike duncely duncery duncical duncify duncish dunceish duncy
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