dumb
/dʌm/adjective
उच्चारण डम
गूँगा, मूक, जो बोल न सके
Core wordPYP · asked 5 times
Asked in previous papers
as one-word substitution
- 1
old-fashioned, now often offensive
not able to speak
गूँगा, मूक, जो बोल न सके
- He was born deaf and dumb.
- a school for the deaf and dumb (now called the hearing- and speech-impaired)
- He has been dumb since birth and communicates by writing.
+ 2 more examples
- Her brother became dumb after a long illness.
- The child was dumb from the shock for several days.
Synonyms mute speechless speech-impaired
- 2
temporarily not speaking or refusing to speak
चुप, अवाक्, जिसकी बोलती बंद हो
- We were struck dumb by the news.
- The witness remained dumb under questioning.
- She stood dumb with fear when the lights went out.
+ 2 more examples
- The audience fell dumb as the verdict was read.
- He was struck dumb by her beauty.
Synonyms silent speechless tongue-tied
- 3
informal, especially AmE
stupid
(बोलचाल में) मूर्ख, बेवकूफ़
- That was a dumb thing to say.
- I felt dumb for forgetting my own phone number.
- I felt dumb for not asking the way.
+ 2 more examples
- That was a dumb idea, and we all knew it.
- Only a dumb student would copy and get caught.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
dumb (cannot speak)
The older sense means unable to speak. Today 'speech-impaired' or 'non-speaking' is preferred; 'dumb' for a person is often offensive.
पुराना अर्थ बोल न पाना है। अब 'speech-impaired' या 'non-speaking' अधिक उचित है; व्यक्ति के लिए 'dumb' प्रायः अपमानजनक माना जाता है।
- The word 'dumb' for speech is now avoided in formal writing.
dumb (silent, temporarily)
Can mean silent from shock or surprise; 'dumbstruck' is common.
इसका अर्थ आघात या आश्चर्य से चुप हो जाना हो सकता है; 'dumbstruck' आम शब्द है।
- She stood dumb with fear.
- The news left us dumbstruck.
dumb (informal: stupid)
Informal and rude when used for a person; fine for things like a dumb idea.
व्यक्ति के लिए अनौपचारिक और अशिष्ट; 'dumb idea' जैसे प्रयोग में सामान्य।
- That was a dumb mistake.
dumb down
A phrasal verb meaning to make something simpler, so that it is less intelligent.
यह phrasal verb किसी चीज़ को इतना सरल बनाने के लिए है कि उसका स्तर गिर जाए।
- Do not dumb down the lesson for bright students.
+Collocations 4
dumb + noun
ideamistakequestionluckshow
- That was a dumb question to ask.
dumb + with
with fearwith shockwith surprisewith grief
- He stood dumb with shock.
dumb + compound
dumbstruckdumbfoundeddumb luckdumb waiter
- She was dumbfounded by the result.
verb + dumb
standremaingostrike
- The crowd went dumb at the sight.
“More examples 5
- He stood dumb with surprise at the result.
वह परिणाम पर आश्चर्य से अवाक् खड़ा रह गया।
- It was a dumb mistake to leave the answer sheet blank.
उत्तर-पुस्तिका ख़ाली छोड़ना एक मूर्खतापूर्ण भूल थी।
- Radhika was dumbstruck when her name was called first.
सबसे पहले अपना नाम पुकारे जाने पर राधिका अवाक् रह गई।
- The writer refused to dumb down his style for TV.
लेखक ने TV के लिए अपनी शैली का स्तर गिराने से मना कर दिया।
- We use the term speech-impaired instead of dumb.
हम 'dumb' की जगह 'speech-impaired' शब्द का प्रयोग करते हैं।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ He is dumb, so he cannot hear the lecture.
✓ He is hard of hearing, so he cannot follow the lecture.
Dumb never means deaf; confusing the two is a common mistake.
'Dumb' का अर्थ बहरा कभी नहीं होता; दोनों को मिलाना आम भूल है।
✗ My friend is dumb in studies.
✓ My friend is weak in studies.
Dumb is rude for a person; use weak or slow.
व्यक्ति के लिए 'dumb' अशिष्ट है; 'weak' या 'slow' का प्रयोग करें।
✗ She was dumbfounded for the news.
✓ She was dumbfounded by the news.
The cause of amazement follows 'by'.
आश्चर्य के कारण के लिए 'by' आता है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
Dumb, mute and silent all involve no speech, with different meanings.
Dumb, mute और silent में बोलना नहीं होता, पर अर्थ अलग हैं।
Unable to speak (old use), or stupid (informal).
बोल न पाने वाला (पुराना प्रयोग), या मूर्ख (अनौपचारिक)।
- A dumb remark.
Not making any sound, by choice or situation.
किसी भी ध्वनि के बिना, इच्छा या स्थिति से।
- The room was silent.
→Phrasal verbs 1
dumb sth down
(disapproving) to make something easier to understand by making it less accurate or of a lower quality
(किसी चीज़ को) सरल बनाने के चक्कर में उसका स्तर गिरा देना
- Good teachers simplify a topic without dumbing it down.
◇Word family
≈Synonyms and antonyms
AaSpelling
Dumb, with a silent b (like thumb, comb, numb, climb).
Dumb, silent b के साथ (thumb, comb, numb, climb की तरह)।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Struck dumb (speechless with shock); dumbfounded (astonished).
Idioms: struck dumb (सदमे से अवाक्), dumbfounded (हक्का-बक्का)।
✓In the exam
One-word substitution
A person who cannot speak is dumb or mute (the respectful term today is speech-impaired).
'जो बोल न सके' के लिए dumb या mute आता है (आज का सम्मानजनक शब्द speech-impaired है)।
Notes
The 'stupid' sense is American slang.
'मूर्ख' वाला अर्थ American slang है।