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Dumb

Dumb is an English adjective with multiple related meanings. In its oldest sense, dumb meant unable to speak or speechless. From Old English and Proto-Germanic roots, the term later broadened to mean simply silent. In later periods, especially in modern English, dumb acquired a figurative sense of lacking intelligence or good judgment, as in "a dumb mistake" or "they did a dumb thing." This usage is widely considered insulting when applied to people and is typically avoided in respectful contexts. In many professional and medical settings, people prefer terms such as "nonverbal" or "speech-impaired" when referring to someone who cannot speak.

Other uses are idiomatic or technical. In phrases such as "dumb luck" or "dumb move," the word

conveys
surprise
or
lacking
skill
rather
than
a
literal
assertion
about
intellectual
capacity.
In
historical
or
technical
contexts,
"dumb"
appears
in
compounds
like
"dumbwaiter"
(a
small
elevator
used
to
transport
goods
discreetly)
and
"dumb
terminal"
(a
computer
terminal
with
little
or
no
processing
capability).