noun
nitwit
NIHT-wiht
noun
1
A foolish or scatterbrained person.
"Only a nitwit would leave the car running with the keys inside."
"Stop acting like a nitwit and read the instructions."
How to Use Nitwit
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn informal, mildly insulting word for someone acting foolishly.
When to use it
Informal and a bit old-fashioned, but still understood and used affectionately in some contexts.
Common pairings
act like a nitwit
a total nitwit
Word Forms
nitwits plural
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Etymology
First recorded in the US in the 1910s, likely from German or Yiddish dialect words for "nothing" combined with "wit."