midwit

English

Etymology

From mid- +‎ wit; likely coined in line with nitwit, halfwit, etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪdwɪt/

Noun

midwit (plural midwits)

1. (neologism, chiefly Internet slang, mildly derogatory) A person of middling intellect; someone who is neither particularly dumb nor notably intelligent, especially if they act as if they are smarter than they are.

   Coordinate terms: halfwit, lackwit

   • 2022 January 7, Merri, “Brief Genealogy of the Midwit”, in The Pillarist‎^[1]:

     How then should we not be midwits? Painting with broad strokes: avoid media. Cultivate taste. Grow and train your sense of aesthetics. Recognize beauty. Practice virtue. Pray.

   • 2023 February 11, Janan Ganesh, “After Germany's fall, which is the paragon nation?”, in FT Weekend, page 22:

     A true paragon nation captures the midwit, get-the-news-from-Trevor-Noah demographic.

   • 2023 February 21, David Sinclair, The Wolf Tamers: How They Made the Strong Weak‎^[2]:

     Congress is packed with midwits. There are no intellectuals in Congress. None could flourish in such a mediocre environment.

Usage notes

At least online, the term commonly carries connotations of the person deemed a "midwit" of being oversocialized and holding socially-acceptable views as if they were intellectually profound.

Derived terms

• midwittery

See also

• midbrow, midcult

Anagrams

• dimwit