Word Meanings - DUNCE - Book Publishers vocabulary database

One backward in book learning; a child or other person dull or weak in intellect; a dullard; a dolt. I never knew this town without dunces of figure. Swift. Note: The schoolmen were often called, after their great leader Duns Scotus, Dunsmen or

Additional info about word: DUNCE

One backward in book learning; a child or other person dull or weak in intellect; a dullard; a dolt. I never knew this town without dunces of figure. Swift. Note: The schoolmen were often called, after their great leader Duns Scotus, Dunsmen or Duncemen. In the revival of learning they were violently opposed to classical studies; hence, the name of Dunce was applied with scorn and contempt to an opposer of learning, or to one slow at learning, a dullard. (more info) Subtle Doctor, who died in 1308. Originally in the phrase "a Duns

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of DUNCE)

• Blockhead
• Dolt
• dunderhead
• jolterhead
• dunce
• ninny
• numskull
• dullard
• simpleton
• booby
• loggerhead
• ignoramus
• Booby
• Idiot
• Ignoramus
• Dunce

Related words: (words related to DUNCE)

• DUNDERHEAD
  A dunce; a numskull; a blockhead. Beau. & Fl.
• IDIOTISH
  Like an idiot; foolish.
• IDIOTRY
  Idiocy. Bp. Warburton.
• BOOBYISH
  Stupid; dull.
• IDIOT
  1. A man in private station, as distinguished from one holding a public office. St. Austin affirmed that the plain places of Scripture are sufficient to all laics, and all idiots or private persons. Jer. Taylor. 2. An unlearned, ignorant, or simple
• IDIOTICON
  A dictionary of a peculiar dialect, or of the words and phrases peculiar to one part of a country; a glossary.
• DUNCE
  One backward in book learning; a child or other person dull or weak in intellect; a dullard; a dolt. I never knew this town without dunces of figure. Swift. Note: The schoolmen were often called, after their great leader Duns Scotus, Dunsmen or
• BOOBY
  1. A dunce; a stupid fellow. A swimming bird related to the common gannet, and found in the West Indies, nesting on the bare rocks. It is so called on account of its apparent stupidity. The name is also sometimes applied to other species
• NUMSKULL
  A dunce; a dolt; a stupid fellow. They have talked like numskulls. Arbuthnot.
• LOGGERHEADED
  Dull; stupid. Shak. A rabble of loggerheaded physicians. Urquhart.
• SIMPLETON
  A person of weak intellect; a silly person.
• BLOCKHEADED
  Stupid; dull.
• IGNORAMUS
  We are ignorant; we ignore; -- being the word formerly written on a bill of indictment by a grand jury when there was not sufficient evidence to warrant them in finding it a true bill. The phrase now used is, "No bill," "No true bill,"
• IDIOTIZE
  To become stupid.
• BLOCKHEAD
  A stupid fellow; a dolt; a person deficient in understanding. The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head. Pope.
• IDIOTHERMIC
  Self-heating; warmed, as the body of animal, by process going on within itself.
• JOLTERHEAD; JOLTHEAD
  A dunce; a blockhead. Sir T. North.
• NINNYHAMMER
  A simpleton; a silly person. Addison.
• BLOCKHEADISM
  That which characterizes a blockhead; stupidity. Carlyle.
• LOGGERHEAD
  An upright piece of round timber, in a whaleboat, over which a turn of the line is taken when it is running out too fast. Ham. Nav. Encyc. (more info) 1. A blockhead; a dunce; a numskull. Shak. Milton. 2. A spherical mass of iron, with