lunkhead

English

Etymology

Probably from *lunk (perhaps an alteration of lump; compare hunk & hump), a diminutive of lump +‎ head.

Pronunciation

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• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

lunkhead (plural lunkheads)

1. (derogatory, informal, originally US) A fool or idiot.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiot

   You are a lunkhead! How could you be so stupid?

   • 1997, Daniel Clowes, “The Norman Square”, in Ghost World, Jonathan Cape, published 2000, →ISBN, page 49:

     Eww, you've got to check out her creepy friends.. It's like these JAP actress sluts and some American Gladiators reject lunkhead!

   • 2015 February 17, Shauna Miller, “The Radical Queerness of Kate McKinnon's Justin Bieber”, in The Atlantic‎:

     More recently in the semi-mainstream, and somewhere between Jo and Lesbieber, there’s Portlandia’s Lance, of recurring couple Nina and Lance. He’s a longhaired lunkhead with a heart of gold and the patience of a man who could only actually be a woman.

   • 2021 August 1, David Sims, “Stillwater Isn’t a Typical True-Crime Drama”, in The Atlantic‎:

     Bill Baker is a challenging hero to root for, a thickly accented lunkhead and self-described screwup who is never without his trucker cap and wraparound shades.

Derived terms

• lunk

See also

• dunderhead
• lunk
• meathead

Further reading

• “lunkhead n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present