wantwit

W4A1N1T1W4I1T1

noun

A person wanting or lacking wit or sense; a fool.

OriginMiddle English wanten wit →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounwantwit (plural wantwits)

plural wantwits

  1. A person wanting or lacking wit or sense; a fool.

    […] and ſuch a Want-wit ſadnesse makes of mee, That I haue much ado to know my ſelfe.

    c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 163, column 1
    1 more example

    'Wantwit! Clod-brain! Numbskull!' he shouted, straddling her midriff and pummelling her face and chest with his fists.

    2017, Minette Walters, The Last Hours, →ISBN, page 357

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
foolglaikidiot

Origin

  1. Middle Englishwanten wit
  2. Englishwantwit

From Middle English wanten wit, equivalent to want + wit.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

wantwit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wantwit

MLA

“wantwit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wantwit. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wantwit,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wantwit.

Source: wantwit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.