dumb

adjective11

1. •
   (old-fashioned) Unable to speak; lacking power of speech.

   • His younger brother was born dumb, and communicated with sign language.
2. •
   (informal, offensive) stupid, or not at all clever

   • You are so dumb! You don't even know how to make toast!
3. •
   (figurative) Pointless, foolish, lacking intellectual content or value.

   • This is dumb! We're driving in circles! We should have asked for directions an hour ago!
   • Brendan had the dumb job of moving boxes from one conveyor belt to another.
4. •
   Lacking some functionality or property ordinarily characteristic of its kind.
5. •
   Not equipped with intelligent behavior or processing capabilities of its own.
6. •
   (old-fashioned) Unaccompanied by words or speech, silent, wordless.

   • Since you are tongue-tied and so loath to speak In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts — 1591
7. •
   (old-fashioned) Not producing any sound, silent.

   • […] Thro’ lands where not a leaf was dumb; ⁠But all the lavish hills would hum The murmur of a happy Pan: […] — 1850
8. •
   (old-fashioned) An intensifier expressing contempt; damn, damned.
9. •
   (old-fashioned) Having no input or voice in running things.
10. •
    (no longer used) Not talkative; taciturn or unwilling to speak.
11. •
    (no longer used, rare) Lacking brightness or clearness as a colour; dim, dull.

    • Her stern, which was painted of a dumb white or dun color. — 1720

verb4

1. •
   To make stupid.

   • I think she's dumbing us down, so we won't be smarter than her. — 2003
2. •
   To reduce the intellectual demands of.

   • The ensuing storm caused the department to lower the bar—amid protests that this was dumbing the test down—so that only 80 percent of urban kids would fail. — 2002
3. •
   To represent as stupid.

   • Bad-mouthing Neanderthals […] is symptomatic of a need to exclude and even demonize. […] I suggest that the unproven dumbing of the Neanderthals is an example of the same cultural preconception. — 2004
4. •
   (old-fashioned) To silence.

   • […] what I would have spoke Was beastly dumbed by him. — 1606

adverb1

1. •
   Very, extremely.

   • "What, you don't like your food?" Russo asks. ¶ "Are you kidding? It's dumb good." — 2017

adjective1

1. •
   An acronym for remembering desirable characteristics for goal-setting: dream-driven, uplifting, method-driven, behavior-driven.

   • Whatever your goals, starting with a DUMB goal gives a great outline and starting off point to start building your plan of action. — 2023