blockheadedness

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˈblɑkˌhɛdɪdnəs/ UK /ˈblɒkˌhɛdɪdnəs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the quality of being stupid or obtusely dull-witted

His sheer blockheadedness made every explanation pointless.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of being stupid... stupidity obtuseness dullness densenessdoltishnessthickness

Opposites

cleverness intelligence sharpness

Word family

Related forms blockheaded blockhead block

Etymology

From blockheaded + -ness, from blockhead ('a stupid person') + -ed. Block derives from Old French bloc or Middle Dutch blok ('log').

bloc Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# blockheadedness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈblɑkˌhɛdɪdnəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈblɒkˌhɛdɪdnəs/

## Meanings
1. the quality of being stupid or obtusely dull-witted

## Examples
- His sheer blockheadedness made every explanation pointless.

## Synonyms
- stupidity
- obtuseness
- dullness
- denseness
- doltishness
- thickness

## Antonyms
- cleverness
- intelligence
- sharpness

## Related Forms
- blockheaded
- blockhead
- block

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bloc

## Etymology
From blockheaded + -ness, from blockhead ('a stupid person') + -ed. Block derives from Old French bloc or Middle Dutch blok ('log').

## AI Etymology
Blockheadedness comes from blockheaded + -ness, from blockhead ('a stupid person') + -ed. Block derives from Old French bloc or Middle Dutch blok ('log'). The historical trail runs through bloc in Old French. Morphologically, blockheadedness is transparent: it draws on blockheaded + -ness, from blockhead ('a stupid person') + -ed. Used as a noun, blockheadedness now means "the quality of being stupid or obtusely dull-witted", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as blockheaded, blockhead, and block. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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