blockheaded

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈblɑkˌhɛdɪd/ UK /ˈblɒkˌhɛdɪd/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
stupid or stubbornly obtuse

His blockheaded refusal to ask for directions cost us an hour.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · stupid or stubbornly obtuse stupid obtuse dense dull thickdim-witteddoltishslow

Opposites

clever sharp intelligent astute

Word family

Derived forms blockheadedness

Related forms blockhead block

Etymology

From blockhead ('a stupid person,' literally 'a head like a block of wood,' 16th century) + -ed. Block derives from Old French bloc or Middle Dutch blok ('log, tree trunk').

bloc Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# blockheaded

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈblɑkˌhɛdɪd
**IPA (UK):** ˈblɒkˌhɛdɪd

## Meanings
1. stupid or stubbornly obtuse

## Examples
- His blockheaded refusal to ask for directions cost us an hour.

## Synonyms
- stupid
- obtuse
- dense
- dull
- thick
- dim-witted
- doltish
- slow

## Antonyms
- clever
- sharp
- intelligent
- astute

## Derived Forms
- blockheadedness

## Related Forms
- blockhead
- block

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bloc

## Etymology
From blockhead ('a stupid person,' literally 'a head like a block of wood,' 16th century) + -ed. Block derives from Old French bloc or Middle Dutch blok ('log, tree trunk').

## AI Etymology
Blockheaded comes from blockhead ('a stupid person,' literally 'a head like a block of wood,' 16th century) + -ed. Block derives from Old French bloc or Middle Dutch blok ('log, tree trunk'). The historical trail runs through Old French bloc. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means stupid or stubbornly obtuse. Derived formations include blockheadedness; related forms include blockhead, block.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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blockheaded

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