Dumb vs. Thick: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 5, 2023
"Dumb" primarily means unable to speak or lacking intelligence; "thick" mainly refers to high density or low mental acuity.
Key Differences
“Dumb” and “thick” are both adjectives in the English language, and while they might sometimes be used interchangeably in casual language to refer to lack of intelligence, they have different primary meanings. “Dumb” originally refers to the inability to speak, but it’s also colloquially used to describe something or someone perceived as lacking intelligence or making unwise decisions. For example, “He acted dumb in the meeting,” implies a lack of intelligent contribution.
“Thick,” on the other hand, primarily denotes a substantial extent from one surface to the opposite, such as in a material object. It’s often used to describe physical dimensions. However, in informal language, “thick” can also refer to someone who is slow to understand or perceive things, similar to one of the colloquial meanings of “dumb.” For instance, saying, “The book’s pages are thick,” refers to physical dimension, while, “He is a bit thick,” refers to mental acuity.
“Dumb” can also imply mute or silent, not expressing or accompanied by speech or sound, for instance, a dumb show is a mime performance. This usage highlights the incapacity for speech but does not necessarily imply a lack of intelligence.
In contrast, “thick” can refer to density or viscosity of a fluid or semi-fluid substance. When someone says, “The sauce is too thick,” it means that the sauce has a dense or viscous consistency. It can also refer to a close gathering of objects or individuals, like a thick crowd, reflecting density rather than any implication of intelligence.
In conclusion, while “dumb” and “thick” have colloquial overlap relating to perceived lack of intelligence, their primary definitions are distinct, with “dumb” relating to speech and “thick” to density or dimension.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
Unable to speak.
Having a large distance between opposite sides.
Colloquial Use
Lacking intelligence.
Slow to understand; dense (both in mind and matter).
Context
Can denote silence or a lack of sound.
Refers to the density or viscosity of objects or fluids.
Expressiveness
Often used to express frustration or disbelief at someone’s actions.
Used to describe the physical state or appearance of objects.
Application
Applied to people, actions, or decisions.
Applied to objects, substances, and occasionally, people.
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Dumb and Thick Definitions
Dumb
Lacking the power of speech.
The illness left him dumb.
Thick
Viscous; not flowing easily.
The sauce is too thick.
Dumb
Lacking intelligence.
It was a dumb idea to go out in the rain.
Thick
Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite, usually in the smallest solid dimension; not thin
A thick board.
Dumb
Made, done, or seeming stupid.
He gave a dumb response to the question.
Thick
Measuring a specified number of units in this dimension
Two inches thick.
Dumb
Temporarily unable or unwilling to speak.
She was dumb with shock.
Thick
Heavy in form, build, or stature; thickset
A thick neck.
Dumb
Showing a lack of judgment, sense, or reason; foolish.
That was a dumb mistake.
Thick
Having component parts in a close, crowded state or arrangement; dense
A thick forest.
Dumb
Lacking the power of speech. Used of animals and inanimate objects.
Thick
Having or suggesting a heavy or viscous consistency
Thick tomato sauce.
Dumb
(Offensive) Incapable of using speech; mute. Used of humans. See Usage Note at mute.
Thick
Having a great number; abounding
A room thick with flies.
Dumb
Temporarily speechless, as with shock or fear
I was dumb with disbelief.
Thick
Impenetrable by the eyes
A thick fog.
Dumb
Unwilling to speak; taciturn.
Thick
Hard to hear or understand, as from being husky or slurred
Thick speech.
Dumb
Not expressed or articulated in sounds or words
Dumb resentment.
Thick
Very noticeable; pronounced
Has a thick accent.
Dumb
(Nautical) Not self-propelling.
Thick
(Informal) Lacking mental agility; stupid.
Dumb
Conspicuously unintelligent; stupid
Dumb officials.
A dumb decision.
Thick
(Informal) Very friendly; intimate
Thick friends.
Dumb
Unintentional; haphazard
Dumb luck.
Thick
(Informal) Going beyond what is tolerable; excessive.
Dumb
To make silent or dumb.
Thick
In a thick manner; deeply or heavily
Seashells lay thick on the beach.
Dumb
(dated) Unable to speak; lacking power of speech (kept in "deaf, dumb, and blind").
His younger brother was born dumb, and communicated with sign language.
Thick
In a close, compact state or arrangement; densely
Dozens of braids hung thick from the back of her head.
Dumb
(dated) Silent; unaccompanied by words.
Dumb show
Thick
So as to be thick; thickly
Slice the bread thick for the best French toast.
Dumb
Extremely stupid.
You are so dumb! You don't even know how to make toast!
Thick
The thickest part.
Dumb
(figuratively) Pointless, foolish, lacking intellectual content or value.
This is dumb! We're driving in circles! We should have asked for directions an hour ago!
Brendan had the dumb job of moving boxes from one conveyor belt to another.
Thick
The most active or intense part
In the thick of the fighting.
Dumb
Lacking brightness or clearness, as a colour.
Thick
Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.
Dumb
To silence.
Thick
Measuring a certain number of units in this dimension.
I want some planks that are two inches thick.
Dumb
(transitive) To make stupid.
Thick
Heavy in build; thickset.
He had such a thick neck that he had to turn his body to look to the side.
Dumb
(transitive) To represent as stupid.
Thick
Densely crowded or packed.
We walked through thick undergrowth.
Dumb
(transitive) To reduce the intellectual demands of.
Thick
Having a viscous consistency.
My mum’s gravy was thick but at least it moved about.
Dumb
Destitute of the power of speech; unable; to utter articulate sounds; as, the dumb brutes.
To unloose the very tongues even of dumb creatures.
Thick
Abounding in number.
The room was thick with reporters.
Dumb
Not willing to speak; mute; silent; not speaking; not accompanied by words; as, dumb show.
This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him.
To pierce into the dumb past.
Thick
Impenetrable to sight.
We drove through thick fog.
Dumb
Lacking brightness or clearness, as a color.
Her stern was painted of a dumb white or dun color.
Thick
(Of an accent) Prominent, strong.
Dumb
To put to silence.
Thick
Greatly evocative of one's nationality or place of origin.
He answered me in his characteristically thick Creole patois.
Dumb
Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity;
So dense he never understands anything I say to him
Never met anyone quite so dim
Although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick
Dumb officials make some really dumb decisions
He was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse
Worked with the slow students
Thick
Difficult to understand, or poorly articulated.
We had difficulty understanding him with his thick accent.
Dumb
Unable to speak temporarily;
Struck dumb
Speechless with shock
Thick
(informal) Stupid.
He was as thick as two short planks.
Dumb
Lacking the power of human speech;
Dumb animals
Thick
(informal) Friendly or intimate.
They were as thick as thieves.
Dumb
Unable to speak because of hereditary deafness
Thick
Deep, intense, or profound.
Thick darkness.
Thick
(academic) Detailed and expansive; substantive.
Thick
Troublesome; unreasonable
Thick
Curvy and voluptuous, and especially having large hips.
Thick
In a thick manner.
Snow lay thick on the ground.
Thick
Frequently or numerously.
The arrows flew thick and fast around us.
Thick
The thickest, or most active or intense, part of something.
It was mayhem in the thick of battle.
Thick
A thicket.
Thick
(slang) A stupid person; a fool.
Thick
To thicken.
Thick
Measuring in the third dimension other than length and breadth, or in general dimension other than length; - said of a solid body; as, a timber seven inches thick.
Were it as thick as is a branched oak.
My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
Thick
Having more depth or extent from one surface to its opposite than usual; not thin or slender; as, a thick plank; thick cloth; thick paper; thick neck.
Thick
Dense; not thin; inspissated; as, thick vapors. Also used figuratively; as, thick darkness.
Make the gruel thick and slab.
Thick
Not transparent or clear; hence, turbid, muddy, or misty; as, the water of a river is apt to be thick after a rain.
Thick
Abundant, close, or crowded in space; closely set; following in quick succession; frequently recurring.
The people were gathered thick together.
Black was the forest; thick with beech it stood.
Thick
Not having due distinction of syllables, or good articulation; indistinct; as, a thick utterance.
Thick
Deep; profound; as, thick sleep.
Thick
Dull; not quick; as, thick of fearing.
His dimensions to any thick sight were invincible.
Thick
Intimate; very friendly; familiar.
We have been thick ever since.
Thick
The thickest part, or the time when anything is thickest.
In the thick of the dust and smoke.
Thick
A thicket; as, gloomy thicks.
Through the thick they heard one rudely rush.
He through a little window cast his sightThrough thick of bars, that gave a scanty light.
Through thick and thin she followed him.
He became the panegyrist, through thick and thin, of a military frenzy.
Thick
Frequently; fast; quick.
Thick
Closely; as, a plat of ground thick sown.
Thick
To a great depth, or to a greater depth than usual; as, land covered thick with manure.
Thick
To thicken.
The nightmare Life-in-death was she,Who thicks man's blood with cold.
Thick
The location of something surrounded by other things;
In the midst of the crowd
Thick
Not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions;
An inch thick
A thick board
A thick sandwich
Spread a thick layer of butter
Thick coating of dust
Thick warm blankets
Thick
Closely crowded together;
A compact shopping center
A dense population
Thick crowds
Thick
Relatively dense in consistency;
Thick cream
Thick soup
Thick smoke
Thick fog
Thick
Spoken as if with a thick tongue;
The thick speech of a drunkard
His words were slurred
Thick
Wide from side to side;
A heavy black mark
Thick
Hard to pass through because of dense growth;
Dense vegetation
Thick woods
Thick
(of darkness) very intense;
Thick night
Thick darkness
A face in deep shadow
Deep night
Thick
Abundant;
A thick head of hair
Thick
Heavy and compact in form or stature;
A wrestler of compact build
He was tall and heavyset
Stocky legs
A thick middle-aged man
A thickset young man
Thick
(used informally) associated on close terms;
A close friend
The bartender was chummy with the regular customers
The two were thick as thieves for months
Thick
Used informally
Thick
Abundantly covered or filled;
The top was thick with dust
Thick
With a thick consistency;
The blood was flowing thick
Thick
In quick succession;
Misfortunes come fast and thick
Thick
Having a relatively great depth or distance from one surface to the opposite.
The wall is two feet thick.
Thick
Having component parts in a close, crowded state or arrangement; dense.
A thick forest.
Thick
(Informal) Lacking perception; slow-witted.
He is thick if he doesn’t understand that.
Thick
Abundant, concentrated; intense.
The air was thick with smoke.
FAQs
Can “thick” refer to density of substances?
Yes, “thick” can describe the density or viscosity of substances.
Is “dumb” related to silence?
Yes, “dumb” can relate to being silent or not producing sound.
Does “dumb” always mean unintelligent?
No, “dumb” primarily means unable to speak; unintelligent is a colloquial use.
Does “thick” always relate to physical dimensions?
No, it can also refer informally to lack of perception or understanding.
Is “dumb” used to describe mute people?
Historically, yes, but it’s considered outdated and offensive in this context today.
Can “thick” describe a person's mental acuity?
Informally, yes; it can imply someone is slow to understand, but it’s potentially offensive.
Is “dumb” offensive when referring to intelligence?
Yes, it can be perceived as derogatory and offensive; careful use is advised.
Can “thick” be used to describe crowded situations?
Yes, it can describe areas or situations where objects or people are densely packed.
Is it appropriate to use “dumb” to describe unwise decisions?
It’s colloquially used this way, but it can be insensitive or offensive to some.
Does “dumb” imply temporary speechlessness?
Yes, it can imply being temporarily unable or unwilling to speak due to surprise or shock.
Does “thick” relate to intense or concentrated states?
Yes, it can refer to situations or environments that are intense, concentrated, or abundant in some elements.
Can “thick” mean close in proximity?
Yes, it can mean close in relationship or proximity, e.g., “They are thick as thieves.”
Can “thick” be used to describe fluid consistency?
Yes, it can describe the viscosity or density of a fluid or semi-fluid substance.
Is “dumb” used as a noun?
Rarely, but it can be used as a noun, historically referring to a mute person, which is now considered offensive.
Is “dumb” a slang term?
It has slang uses, especially when referring to perceived lack of intelligence or unwise decisions.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
