Adjective: dumb
Comparison Forms
Synthetic
| Comparative | dumber |
| Superlative | dumbest |
Perifrastic
| Comparative | more dumb |
| Superlative | most dumb |
Sample Sentences
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deaf, dumb, and blind
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His younger brother was born dumb, and communicated with sign language.
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to unloose the very tongues even of dumb creatures [[1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):]
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The country people frequently ſay,—How can you treat a poor dumb beaſt ill; and a ſtreſs is very properly laid on the word dumb; for dumb they appear to thoſe who do not obſerve their looks and geſtures; but God, who takes care of every thing, underſtands their language... [1788, Mary Wollstonecraft, chapter 2, in Original Stories from Real Life (Children's literature), London: J. Johnson, published 1796, pages 10–11:]
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We are dumb and we would talk [1884 January 5, “Mighty maiden with a mission”, in W. S. Gilbert (lyrics), Arthur Sullivan (music), Princess Ida, performed by D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, London, page 48:]
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It is true, there is Turkish of which I had picked up a few phrases, and there is Chinese of which I did not understand a single word. But I had no fear of remaining dumb in Turkestan and the Celestial Empire. [a. 1905, anonymous translator, The Adventures of a Special Correspondent Among the Various Races and Countries of Central Asia, translation of Claudius Bombarnac by Jules Verne:]
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Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow / What you need is someone strong to guide you [1992, “Opiate”, performed by Tool:]
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Life was never a May-game for men; in all times the lot of the dumb-millions born to toil was defaced with manifold sufferings, injustices, heavy burdens, avoidable and unavoidable; not play at all, but hard work that made the sinews sore, and the heart sore. [1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “Democracy”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker), page 210:]
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dumb show
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Since you are tongue-tied and so loath to speak
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In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts [1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:]
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O let my books be then the eloquence
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And dumb presagers of my speaking breast […] [1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 23”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:]
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to pierce into the dumb past [1881, John Campbell Shairp, Aspects of Poetry:]
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[…] Thro’ lands where not a leaf was dumb;
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But all the lavish hills would hum
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The murmur of a happy Pan: […] [1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 39:]
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You are so dumb! You don't even know how to make toast!
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This is dumb! We're driving in circles! We should have asked for directions an hour ago!
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Brendan had the dumb job of moving boxes from one conveyor belt to another.
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Her stern, which was painted of a dumb white or dun color. [1720, Daniel Defoe, The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton:]
Adjectives inflected like dumb
wholsom,
seldom,
scared,
solemn,
silent,
beloved,
uptight,
perfect,
useless,
up-tight,
selfish,
distinct,
discreet,
Dutch,
reckless,
bumfuck,
worthless,
slender,
faithfull,
shallow, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)
Etymology
1. From Middle English dumb (“silent, speechless, mute, ineffectual”), from Old English dumb (“silent, speechless, mute, unable to speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *dumb, from Proto-Germanic *dumbaz (“dull, dumb”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“to whisk, smoke, darken, obscure”).
2. The senses of stupid, unintellectual, and pointless, which are found regularly since the 19th century only, probably developed under the influence of German dumm and Dutch dom. Just like the English word, these originally meant "lacking the power of speech", but they developed the mentioned senses early on.
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with Scots dumb (“dumb, silent”), North Frisian dom, domme (“dumb, stupid”), West Frisian dom (“dumb, stupid”), Dutch dom (“dumb, stupid”), German dumm (“dumb, stupid”), Danish dum (“stupid”), Swedish dum (“stupid”), Icelandic dumbur (“dumb, mute”). See also deaf. See: German Adjectives '
dumm', Dutch Adjectives '
dom', Dutch Adjectives '
dom', German Adjectives '
dumm', Swedish Adjectives '
dum'.
Verbs referencing "dumb"
Swedish Adjectives
dum, Gothic Adjectives
𐌳𐌿𐌼𐌱𐍃.