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Antonyms for dumb

Grammar : Adj
Spell : duhm
Phonetic Transcription : dÊŒm

Definition of dumb

Origin :
  • Old English dumb "silent, unable to speak," from PIE *dheubh- "confusion, stupefaction, dizziness," from root *dheu- (1) "dust, mist, vapor, smoke," and related notions of "defective perception or wits."
  • The Old English, Old Saxon (dumb), Gothic (dumbs), and Old Norse (dumbr) forms of the word meant only "mute, speechless;" in Old High German (thumb) it meant both this and "stupid," and in Modern German this latter became the only sense. Meaning "foolish, ignorant" was occasionally in Middle English, but modern use (1823) comes from influence of German dumm. Related: dumber; dumbest.
  • Applied to silent contrivances, hence dumbwaiter. As a verb, in late Old English, "to become mute;" c.1600, "to make mute." To dumb (something) down is from 1933.
  • adj unable to speak
  • adj stupid, unintelligent
Example sentences :
  • The holy possession lasted but a minute or so, and left her dumb.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • He resolved to pretend to be dumb, and he charged Terence not to betray him.
  • Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
  • First the blind, then the deaf and the dumb, then the halt and the lame—and so on.
  • Extract from : « The Secret Agent » by Joseph Conrad
  • Dumb with fright, the boys stood and looked at the destruction.
  • Extract from : « What Sami Sings with the Birds » by Johanna Spyri
  • Now they knew all the awful truth, and stared at each other like dumb men.
  • Extract from : « Fair Margaret » by H. Rider Haggard
  • She might have been stone deaf, and as dumb as the hearthstone bricks.
  • Extract from : « Meadow Grass » by Alice Brown
  • I don't care whether you're deef or dumb, or whether you're nummer'n a beetle!
  • Extract from : « Meadow Grass » by Alice Brown
  • I never saw any thing like this before, and it makes me dumb.
  • Extract from : « Hetty's Strange History » by Anonymous
  • And the upshot of that dumb battle is inequality—and beauty.
  • Extract from : « Alarms and Discursions » by G. K. Chesterton
  • Down went the Dumb man, and away flew his cudgel from his hand as he fell.
  • Extract from : « The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood » by Howard Pyle

Synonyms for dumb

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019