Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
The state of being mute: that is, of not communicating vocally, whether from selective mutism (refusal to speak) or from an inability to speak.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, offensive, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Muteness, silence; abstention from speech.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Show or gesture without words; pantomime; dumb-show.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The quality of being stupid or foolish.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
the quality of being mentally slow and limited
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: denseness, slow-wittedness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stupidity
History
From Middle English dombenesse, from Old English dumbnes; equivalent to dumb + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian dumbnisse (“folly, dumbness”).
Across languages
16 source translations are retained for this English entry.
