Meanings
plural nitwits
- informalA scatterbrained or stupid person.
If you don't remember you are a nitwit. If you do answer, well, you know what the penalty is for perjury.
1918, State Bar Association of Connecticut, Annual Report, page 821 more example
"Don't be a nitwit, honey!" says Adele. "Here, let me open the door! Ma be I did leave them lights on, though it ain't ike me!"
1922, Nina Wilcox Putnam, Laughter Inc
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Yiddishניט
- Germannit
- Englishnitwit
First attested in the 1910s in the US Northeast. Likely from German nit, dialect form of nichts (“nothing”), or Yiddish ניט (nit), dialect form of נישט (nisht, “no”), although some dictionaries give the alternative etymology nit (“louse egg; something very small”) + wit.
More words from German, Yiddish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian глупак
- глупак (glupak)scatterbrained or stupid person
German Schwachkopf, Dummkopf
- Schwachkopfscatterbrained or stupid person
- Dummkopfscatterbrained or stupid person
Italian sciocco
- scioccoscatterbrained or stupid person
Māori poroheahea, hākawa
- poroheaheascatterbrained or stupid person
- hākawascatterbrained or stupid person
- pōrewarewascatterbrained or stupid person
- ngoungouascatterbrained or stupid person
Polish głupiec, głupek
- głupiecscatterbrained or stupid person
- głupekscatterbrained or stupid person
- matołekscatterbrained or stupid person
- gamońscatterbrained or stupid person
Turkish enayi
- enayiscatterbrained or stupid person
Cite this entry
nitwit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nitwit
“nitwit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nitwit. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nitwit,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nitwit.
Source: nitwit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.