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).