noun
dunce
duhns
noun
1
Someone regarded as slow-witted or foolish, especially at learning.
"He felt like a dunce when he couldn't answer the simplest question."
"The teacher never called any student a dunce, but the old-fashioned dunce cap made the insult famous."
How to Use Dunce
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA mildly old-fashioned, somewhat insulting word for someone who seems dim or bad at schoolwork.
Memory tip
It's associated with the "dunce cap" image from old classrooms, so it often carries a slightly comic, storybook feel rather than a harsh modern insult.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
dunce cap
call someone a dunce
Word Forms
dunces plural
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He felt like a _____ when he couldn't answer the simplest question.
Etymology
From the name of the medieval philosopher John Duns Scotus — ironically a brilliant scholar. When Renaissance thinkers mocked his followers as old-fashioned, "dunce" shifted from meaning "stubborn traditionalist" to simply "stupid person."