dullard

/ˈdʌlɑːd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʌlɑːrd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdə-lərd/ (ame, mw)

dullard — noun

  • dullardsingular
  • dullardsplural

1. someone who is slow to learn or understand things and is not considered clever

1.名詞C1
釋義

someone who is slow to learn or understand things and is not considered clever

例句

The older students called Tamar a dullard because she needed extra time with her reading.

call + someone + a dullard — common pattern for labelling

Only a dullard would leave the front door unlocked in a neighbourhood like this.

hypothetical: 'Only a dullard would [verb]'

同義詞
  • fool

    more common in everyday speech; slightly less harsh in tone

  • simpleton

    similar register and old-fashioned feel; emphasises naivety as much as low intelligence

  • dunce

    historically associated with school settings and struggling learners; now somewhat playful

反義詞
  • genius

    opposite end of the intelligence scale

  • intellectual

    a person who enjoys serious thinking and study

文法句型

a + dullard

call + someone + a dullard

用法筆記

Old-fashioned in tone; more common in writing than in everyday conversation. Considered less offensive than stronger insults such as 'idiot' or 'moron', but still likely to cause offence if directed at someone directly.

常見錯誤

❌I felt like a dullard when I got lost on the way here.
✅I felt like an idiot when I got lost on the way here.
💡'dullard' suggests a permanent lack of intelligence, not a temporary mistake such as losing your way.
❌He is such a dullard — he forgot to buy milk again.
✅He is so forgetful
💡he forgot to buy milk again.' — a single absent-minded action does not make someone a dullard; the word describes a general slowness of mind.