rhizoverbBeta
DictionarydunceSlow learner
noun

dunce

DUNS/dʌns/

A person regarded as stupid or slow to learn.

He feels like a dunce when he forgets simple instructions.

An adult learner repeatedly tries a plainly mismatched piece in a simple wooden assembly puzzle after a companion demonstrates the matching opening; the companion's puzzled, mildly exasperated reaction conveys that the learner is regarded as slow to learn.
Etymology
dunceEnglishname of John Duns Scotus

Duns first identified followers of the scholar John Duns Scotus. Opponents turned their name into an insult for hairsplitting or obstinate thinkers, which then broadened to a dull-witted student.

In context

Arkham666221:05
He's just kind of a big dunce about it.
The PS1 Final Fantasy trilogy Retrospective: why we still love them.

More examples

  • Getting one answer wrong doesn't make you a dunce.
  • She plays the class dunce to make her friends laugh.
  • The teacher refuses to call struggling students dunces.

Forms

dunce · dunces

Similar words

fool
Fool often emphasizes poor judgment rather than difficulty learning.
idiot
Idiot is a harsher insult for perceived stupidity.