dullard

dullard — noun

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

1.nounC1
Definition

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

Example

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]'

Common collocations
  • complete dullard
  • absolute dullard
  • dismiss someone as a dullard
  • feel like a dullard
  • call someone a dullard
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • genius

    opposite end of the intelligence scale

  • intellectual

    a person who enjoys serious thinking and study

Grammar Patterns

a + dullard

call + someone + a dullard

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.

Word family

  • dull
    adjectiveA2
  • dully
    adverbB2
  • dullness
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone perceived as lacking intelligence, but they differ in register, connotation, and context. 'Dullard' is the most old-fashioned and literary of the group; you are far more likely to encounter it in a novel than in spoken conversation. 'Fool' is the most common and versatile — it can imply poor judgment (What a fool I was!) rather than permanent low intelligence, and it appears in many fixed phrases (April fool, fool's errand). 'Simpleton' overlaps with 'dullard' in its old-fashioned, slightly pitying tone, but it adds a sense of childlike innocence or naivety. 'Dunce' carries a strong historical link to classroom failure (from the Dunce cap) and is often used teasingly about academic struggles. For everyday insults, 'fool' is the safest choice; 'dullard' and 'simpleton' work best in descriptive writing where the author wants a vivid, slightly literary flavour.

dullard ↗fool ↗simpletondunce

Common collocations

Phrases

  • call someone a dullard
  • dismiss someone as a dullard
  • regard someone as a dullard
  • feel like a dullard
  • play the dullard

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchEnglish

Formed from the adjective 'dull' (meaning not sharp, later used for someone not intelligent) and the suffix '-ard', which came into English from Old French. The suffix '-ard' was used to create nouns describing people, often with a negative or mocking tone — other examples include 'coward', 'drunkard', and 'bastard'. The word first appeared in English in the early 1700s.