dumb

/dʌm/ (bre, ipa) · /dʌm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdəm/ (ame, mw)

dumb — 形容詞

  • dumbpositive
  • dumbercomparative
  • dumbestsuperlative

1. lacking good sense or sound judgment, often used in informal speech to criticize

1.形容詞A2
釋義

笨的

愚蠢的，缺乏判斷力的（非正式用法）

lacking good sense or sound judgment, often used in informal speech to criticize someone's action, idea, or general intelligence.

例句

Bilal made a dumb joke at dinner, and nobody laughed at all.

Bilal 在晚餐時講了個愚蠢的笑話，全場完全沒有人笑。

collocation: dumb joke

Sumin felt really dumb after giving the wrong answer to such an easy question.

Sumin 把那麼簡單的題目都答錯了，覺得自己真的很笨。

pattern: feel + adj + after [event]

同義詞
  • stupid

    more direct; can be just as harsh but is more standard across registers

  • foolish

    milder; focuses on poor judgment in a situation rather than low intelligence

  • silly

    gentlest of the group; often playful or about trivial matters

  • dense

    informal; describes someone slow to understand rather than actively unintelligent

反義詞
  • smart

    having good judgment and quick understanding

  • clever

    able to solve problems in an original way

  • bright

    naturally intelligent; often used for children

文法句型

dumb + noun

feel dumb

too dumb to + infinitive

用法筆記

Very common in informal spoken English but strongly avoided in formal or academic writing. When criticizing a specific action rather than a person's general intelligence, 'foolish' or 'unwise' are politer alternatives.

常見錯誤

❌The professor called my essay dumb.' — unlikely in academic contexts.
✅The professor said my essay showed weak reasoning.
💡use academic register in formal settings.
❌He is too dumb to learn English' (overly harsh).
✅He finds English challenging.
💡'dumb' is a strong insult; use with care.

2. physically unable to produce speech, either from birth or as a result of illness

2.形容詞B2
釋義

啞的

因先天或後天因素而無法說話的

physically unable to produce speech, either from birth or as a result of illness or injury.

例句

A rare illness left Nadia completely dumb when she was a toddler.

一種罕見疾病讓 Nadia 在學步時期就完全成了啞巴。

passive: was left + adjective

The doctor explained that the patient was not deaf — he was simply dumb.

醫生解釋說，那名患者並非聽障——他只是無法說話。

contrastive structure: not X — was Y

同義詞
  • mute

    clinical, neutral term preferred in medical contexts

  • nonverbal

    educational context; broader, includes inability to use any language form

  • speechless

    temporary, emotional cause — not physical inability

反義詞

文法句型

dumb + with + [emotion noun (rare: physical inability)]

be born dumb

be left dumb

用法筆記

This sense is increasingly considered outdated or insensitive when referring to a person. The preferred modern terms are 'mute' (in clinical contexts) or 'nonverbal' (in educational settings). Learners should avoid using 'dumb' to describe someone's physical inability to speak in most everyday situations.

常見錯誤

❌She is deaf and dumb.
✅She is deaf and nonverbal.
💡The phrase 'deaf and dumb' is outdated and offensive; use specific terms instead.

3. finding yourself lost for words for a short while because a powerful feeling suc

3.形容詞B1
釋義

說不出話的

因強烈情緒而一時無法說話的

finding yourself lost for words for a short while because a powerful feeling such as shock, surprise, or fear has taken over.

例句

Henrik was struck dumb with shock when he heard that his sister had won the lottery.

Henrik 聽到妹妹中了樂透的消息時，震驚得說不出話來。

fixed phrase: struck dumb + with + [emotion]

The audience sat dumb with amazement after the magician made the elephant vanish.

魔術師讓一頭大象消失之後，觀眾們目瞪口呆，一句話也說不出來。

pattern: sit/stand dumb with [emotion]

同義詞
  • speechless

    far more common in modern English for temporary inability to speak

  • stunned

    emphasizes the cause — shock or amazement — not just the effect

  • tongue-tied

    informal; usually from shyness or nervousness rather than shock

反義詞

文法句型

be + dumb + with + [emotion]

struck + dumb + by/with + [emotion]

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the fixed expression 'struck dumb' and is almost always followed by 'with' plus a cause noun (shock, amazement, fear, surprise). This sense rarely describes mere quietness — it always implies an external cause that robs you of words.

常見錯誤

❌I was dumb for ten minutes because I had nothing to say.
✅I was quiet for ten minutes because I had nothing to say.
💡'dumb' in this sense requires an emotion strong enough to prevent speech, not just silence.

4. referring to a piece of electronic equipment that has no internet access and can

4.形容詞C1
釋義

非智慧型

無法連網或獨立運作的（指電子設備）

referring to a piece of electronic equipment that has no internet access and cannot process data independently — the opposite of a 'smart' model.

例句

A dumb TV cannot run streaming apps or connect to the internet on its own.

非智慧電視無法自行安裝串流應用程式或連接網路。

contrast: dumb TV vs smart TV

The company still sells a dumb version of the phone with no touchscreen.

該公司仍在販售一款沒有觸控螢幕的非智慧型手機。

collocation: dumb version

同義詞
  • basic

    neutral term; describes minimal features without implying lack of intelligence

  • non-smart

    clearer, avoids the potentially offensive overtone of 'dumb'

  • offline

    specific to internet connectivity — not the same as lacking independent processing

反義詞
  • smart

    able to connect and process data independently

  • intelligent

    high-end industry term for devices with AI capabilities

  • connected

    specifically about internet connectivity

文法句型

dumb + [device noun]

dumb + [technology noun]

用法筆記

Only used for electronic devices and technology — the direct opposite of 'smart' in product categories. Common in phrases like 'dumb phone' (a basic mobile phone with no internet) and 'dumb terminal' (a computer monitor with no processing power).

常見錯誤

❌My old car is a dumb car' (confusing 'non-smart' with 'not modern').
✅My old car is a basic model with no smart features.
💡'dumb' for devices is mainly used in computing and electronics, not for all machinery.

dumb — 動詞