unintelligent
unintelligent — adjective
1. slow to learn or understand things, or not able to think in a clear and logical
slow to learn or understand things, or not able to think in a clear and logical way
Imran's question was not unintelligent, but he had not read the instructions carefully.
not unintelligent — litotes (double negative) for a softer judgement
The film critic described the movie as unintelligent and full of boring action scenes.
collocation: describe + something + as + unintelligent
Élise rejected the proposal because she found it unintelligent and poorly planned.
Zayd felt annoyed with himself for making such an unintelligent remark at the meeting.
- stupid
more common and informal; can be more offensive than unintelligent
- dumb
informal, especially in American English; often describes a specific action rather than a person’s general ability
- slow
less harsh and often used as a gentler alternative; focuses on speed of learning
- foolish
emphasises poor judgement or lack of wisdom rather than general mental ability
- intelligent
the direct opposite; describes someone with good mental ability
- smart
informal synonym of intelligent; very common in everyday speech
- clever
emphasises quickness and inventiveness in thinking
- bright
often used of young people; suggests natural quickness in learning
用法筆記
This word can sound harsh when used directly to describe a person. It is more commonly used to criticise ideas, decisions, questions, or creative works. The double-negative form 'not unintelligent' is a common and softer alternative that suggests something has some merit despite its flaws.
常見錯誤
❗ 'He is an unintelligent person.' (direct judgement of a person) ✅ 'He made an unintelligent remark.' — Describing a specific action or statement is less offensive than labelling someone’s overall intelligence.