dolt

See also: dőlt

English

Etymology

First used as a noun in Early Modern English, from dialectal English dold (“stupid, confused”), from Middle English dold, a variant of dulled, dult (“dulled”), past participle of dullen, dollen (“to make dull, make stupid”), from dull, dul, dwal (“stupid”). More at dull.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /dɒlt/, IPA^(key): /dəʊlt/, /dɔʊlt/
(US) IPA^(key): /doʊlt/
Rhymes: -əʊlt
Audio (UK) (file)

Noun

dolt (plural dolts)

(derogatory) A stupid person; a blockhead or dullard.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fool
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 337:
  O Gull, oh dolt, / As ignorant as durt: […]
- c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 361:
  Moſt Monſter-like, be ſhewne / For poor'ſt Diminutiues, for Dolts, […]
- 1627, Michaell Drayton [i.e., Michael Drayton], “Nimphidia. The Court of Fayrie.”, in The Battaile of Agincourt. , London: A M for VVilliam Lee, , published 1631, →OCLC:
  This Puck seemes but a dreaming dolt.
- 2010 October 8, By Dennis Lim, “Another Dimension of Idiocy”, in New York Times‎:
  Those who loathe “Jackass” — which brought the world beer enemas and urine snow cones and thrust its merry band of dolts into reptile lairs and shark-infested waters — have called it disgusting and irresponsible: an incitement to copycat idiocy, if not a sign of the end of Western civilization.