6 alternatives you can use instead of “not smart”

This week, I received an editing project from a new client. Not long into it, I noticed the phrase “not smart”.

As someone who tries to eliminate wordiness, I was taken aback slightly by it. I was certain that I could find single-word alternatives for “not smart”.

Here are just 5:

  1. Stupid
  2. Dense
  3. Foolish
  4. Dumb
  5. Unintelligent
  6. Brainless

These aren’t the only options either. You can probably use any synonym you can find for these words.

Using two words when one will do just fine seems excessive. If you regularly replace these words with alternatives, on the other hand, you freshen your writing and engage your reader.

By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.