Standard Lemma guide

gormless

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

Pronunciation

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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɡɔːmləs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)mləs

1

adj

Meaning 1

Lacking intelligence, sense or understanding; foolish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

(British informal) lacking intelligence and vitality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gaumless

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From dialectal English gaum (“heed, attention”) + -less (“without”), from Old Norse gaum, from Proto-Germanic *gaumaz, *gaumō (“heed, attention”). The ‘r’ found in this spelling is a vowel-lengthening device common in non-rhotic dialects of English.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: vypatlaný — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Czech: tupý — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Czech: nablblý — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Czech: blbý — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Dutch: onnozel — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Dutch: onhandig — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Dutch: naïef — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • French: absurde — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • French: puéril — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • German: dämlich — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Polish: głupi — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Polish: tępy — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Russian: бестолко́вый (bestolkóvyj) — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Welsh: di-glem — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish
  • Welsh: diamcan — lacking intelligence or understanding; foolish