brainless

brainless — adjective

1. very stupid, showing almost no clear thought in what a person says or does.

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

very stupid, showing almost no clear thought in what a person says or does.

Example

The host made brainless jokes that left the studio audience silent.

brainless jokes (silly, empty talk)

Riku sounded brainless on the radio when he forgot the team's name.

sound + brainless

Common collocations
  • brainless jokes
  • brainless answer
  • sound brainless
  • brainless video
  • brainless villain
Synonyms
  • stupid

    the broad everyday word; less vivid than 'brainless'

  • idiotic

    stronger and angrier, often used when someone is very annoyed

  • dim-witted

    focuses more on being slow to understand

  • empty-headed

    informal and mocking, especially about silly talk

Antonyms
  • intelligent

    having the ability to think clearly and understand well

  • sharp

    informal; suggests quick, accurate thinking

  • sensible

    stresses sound thinking rather than raw ability

Grammar Patterns

a brainless + noun

be/seem/sound + brainless

Usage Note

Often used as an insult for a person's speech, media, or behaviour, not as a neutral description of low ability. Distinguish from sense 2 (WITHOUT THINKING): sense 1 attacks intelligence itself.

Common Mistakes

Kenji is brainless in math.
Kenji is bad at math.' or 'Kenji sounds brainless when he talks about math.
'brainless' is a strong insult, not a neutral way to say someone is weak in one subject.
The plan is brainless, so it must be easy.
The plan is simple, so it must be easy.
'brainless' means stupid, not easy or uncomplicated.

2. showing that someone did not stop to think about the likely result or about othe

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

showing that someone did not stop to think about the likely result or about other people.

Example

Posting the class photo online without asking anyone was brainless.

be brainless about an action

Noa made a brainless remark about Hana's accent during lunch.

brainless remark (hurtful, unthinking comment)

Common collocations
  • brainless remark
  • brainless decision
  • brainless mistake
  • brainless email joke
  • brainless stunt
Synonyms
  • thoughtless

    the closest match when someone fails to consider other people

  • careless

    focuses more on lack of attention than on cruelty or poor judgment

  • rash

    stresses acting too quickly before thinking

  • insensitive

    focuses especially on hurting other people's feelings

Antonyms
  • thoughtful

    showing that someone has considered people and results carefully

  • considerate

    stresses care for other people's feelings or needs

  • careful

    emphasizes attention and caution before acting

Grammar Patterns

a brainless + remark/decision/mistake

be + brainless

Usage Note

Usually describes a remark, choice, or action whose problem is poor judgment. Distinguish from sense 1 (LOW INTELLIGENCE): sense 2 often criticizes one unthinking moment rather than a person's mental ability.

Common Mistakes

The broken printer is brainless.
Leaving the printer broken for two weeks was brainless.
sense 2 describes a foolish action or decision, not an object by itself.
Her comment was brainless because it was hard to understand.
Her comment was brainless because it was cruel and she had not thought first.
here the idea is thoughtlessness, not simply unclear speech.

Word family

  • brain
    nounB1
  • brainlessly
    adverbC2
  • brainlessness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Stupid' is the broad everyday word for low intelligence or for a bad idea. 'Brainless' is more insulting and vivid: it suggests that a person's words or behaviour show almost no thinking at all. 'Idiotic' is stronger still and often sounds openly angry. 'Dim-witted' focuses on being slow to understand, not on one foolish moment. 'Thoughtless' overlaps only partly: it usually criticizes failure to consider other people or the likely result, which is closer to brainless sense 2 than sense 1. Compare: 'That was a stupid mistake.' 'The host kept making brainless jokes.' 'Posting the photo without asking was thoughtless.'

brainless ↗stupid ↗idioticdim-wittedthoughtless

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sound brainless
  • seem brainless
  • be brainless enough to

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Brainless was formed in English by joining 'brain' with the suffix '-less', meaning 'without'. The earliest idea was literal, 'without a brain', but in ordinary use the word became an insult for someone who seems unable to think well, and later it also came to describe foolish remarks or actions.