Meaning of "dumb down" in the English dictionary

PRONUNCIATION OF DUMB DOWN

dumb down

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF DUMB DOWN

Dumb down is a verb.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb dumb down in English.

WHAT DOES DUMB DOWN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Dumbing down

Dumbing down is a deliberate diminution of the intellectual level of education, literature, cinema, news, and culture. The term dumbing down originated in 1933 as slang used by motion picture screenplay writers to mean: "revise so as to appeal to those of little education or intelligence." The nature of dumbing down varies according to the subject matter and the reason for the dumbing down, but it usually involves the over-simplification of critical thought to the degree of undermining the intellectual standards of language and of learning; thus tending to trivialise cultural, artistic, and academic standards, as in the case of popular culture. The term dumbing down is subjective, because what is considered as dumbing down depends on taste, value judgement, and intellectual level. In Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu proposed that, in a society in which the cultural practices of the ruling class are rendered and established as the legitimate culture of that society, that action then devalues the cultural capital of the subordinate social classes, and thus limits their social mobility within their own society.

Definition of dumb down in the English dictionary

The definition of dumb down in the dictionary is to make or become less intellectually demanding or sophisticated.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO DUMB DOWN

PRESENT

Present

I dumb down

you dumb down

he/she/it dumbs down

we dumb down

you dumb down

they dumb down

Present continuous

I am dumbing down

you are dumbing down

he/she/it is dumbing down

we are dumbing down

you are dumbing down

they are dumbing down

Present perfect

I have dumbed down

you have dumbed down

he/she/it has dumbed down

we have dumbed down

you have dumbed down

they have dumbed down

Present perfect continuous

I have been dumbing down

you have been dumbing down

he/she/it has been dumbing down

we have been dumbing down

you have been dumbing down

they have been dumbing down

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I dumbed down

you dumbed down

he/she/it dumbed down

we dumbed down

you dumbed down

they dumbed down

Past continuous

I was dumbing down

you were dumbing down

he/she/it was dumbing down

we were dumbing down

you were dumbing down

they were dumbing down

Past perfect

I had dumbed down

you had dumbed down

he/she/it had dumbed down

we had dumbed down

you had dumbed down

they had dumbed down

Past perfect continuous

I had been dumbing down

you had been dumbing down

he/she/it had been dumbing down

we had been dumbing down

you had been dumbing down

they had been dumbing down

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will dumb down

you will dumb down

he/she/it will dumb down

we will dumb down

you will dumb down

they will dumb down

Future continuous

I will be dumbing down

you will be dumbing down

he/she/it will be dumbing down

we will be dumbing down

you will be dumbing down

they will be dumbing down

Future perfect

I will have dumbed down

you will have dumbed down

he/she/it will have dumbed down

we will have dumbed down

you will have dumbed down

they will have dumbed down

Future perfect continuous

I will have been dumbing down

you will have been dumbing down

he/she/it will have been dumbing down

we will have been dumbing down

you will have been dumbing down

they will have been dumbing down

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would dumb down

you would dumb down

he/she/it would dumb down

we would dumb down

you would dumb down

they would dumb down

Conditional continuous

I would be dumbing down

you would be dumbing down

he/she/it would be dumbing down

we would be dumbing down

you would be dumbing down

they would be dumbing down

Conditional perfect

I would have dumb down

you would have dumb down

he/she/it would have dumb down

we would have dumb down

you would have dumb down

they would have dumb down

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been dumbing down

you would have been dumbing down

he/she/it would have been dumbing down

we would have been dumbing down

you would have been dumbing down

they would have been dumbing down

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you dumb down
we let´s dumb down
you dumb down

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to dumb down

Past participle

dumbed down

Present Participle

dumbing down

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

TRANSLATION OF DUMB DOWN

Find out the translation of dumb down to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of dumb down from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «dumb down» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 哑下来
• Translator English - Spanish: abajo mudo
• English: dumb down
• Translator English - Hindi: गूंगा नीचे
• Translator English - Arabic: أسفل البكم
• Translator English - Russian: немой вниз
• Translator English - Portuguese: baixo mudo
• Translator English - Bengali: বাম ডাউন
• Translator English - French: niveler par le bas
• Translator English - Malay: Bodoh
• Translator English - German: verdummen
• Translator English - Japanese: ダムダウン
• Translator English - Korean: 바보 다운
• Translator English - Javanese: Bisu mudhun
• Translator English - Vietnamese: xuống câm
• Translator English - Tamil: ஊமை
• Translator English - Marathi: मुका तरी खाली
• Translator English - Turkish: Aptal
• Translator English - Italian: dumb down
• Translator English - Polish: głupi dół
• Translator English - Ukrainian: німий вниз
• Translator English - Romanian: mut jos
• Translator English - Greek: άλαλος κάτω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: stom af
• Translator English - Swedish: dumb ned
• Translator English - Norwegian: dumme ned

4 QUOTES WITH «DUMB DOWN»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word dumb down.

1

Mary Chapin Carpenter

I don't think you need to dumb down to a child, you merely have to be clear, you know?

2

Brian Selznick

A lot of people who don't write for kids think it's easy, because they think kids aren't as smart as they are, or that you have to dumb down what you would normally write for kids. But I think you have to work harder when you write for kids, to make sure every word is right, that it's there for the right reason.

3

Alia Shawkat

We're not going to dumb down for them. They have to move up. They're the network and we're the show.

4

Kimora Lee Simmons

You don't have to dumb down - you just have to find a clever, good, secure man. I've found a couple - I've been lucky - but it's probably hard for everybody to find that true love of a good man.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DUMB DOWN»

Discover the use of dumb down in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to dumb down and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

BROTHERS and SISTERS of the SOIL

... And go, and go, and go, And go, and go, just to get a child. Crazy and wild? Yes, But that's how far one will goAnd that is what my series is about; So dumb down, dumb down, Dumb down, dumb down, Dumb down, dumb down, Dumb ...

Jean Elizabeth, Poet Laureate Ward, 2007

A Poems

Yes, But that's how far one will goAnd that is what my series is about; So dumb down, dumb down, Dumb down, dumb down, Dumb down, dumb down, Dumb way down; Dumb down! AN ALLUSIVE HORIZON Kimo Five Homage to—Yu Xuanji ...

Jean Elizabeth Ward, 2009

Constantine Versus the Bankers: Military-Industrial-Church ...

Military-Industrial-Church Complex, New World Order, Today's Socio-Politico- Economo Fizzle and Big Dumb Down Conspiracy Nicholas C. Eliopoulos. this world from totally NWO runaway evil. But instead, NATO and NWO agents assassinate ...

Nicholas C. Eliopoulos, 2010

Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage

It tends to be used primarily in the context of education, the arts, and broadcasting, and has an irresistible immediacy of meaning and nuance: Successive education ministers have preferred to dumb down exams and glory in vacuous statistics ...

Robert Allen, 2008

Brain Up, Hybrids

How many of you can recite the English alphabet?” That drew 35 beams of, “ What's an alphabet?" Wong was appalled. What did they learn after 16 years on the Nurture Mother Ship? Was there a decision made to “dumb down" the basic ...

Dee Gragg, 2013

Digital Libraries: People, Knowledge, and Technology: 5th ...

3.2 The Dumb-Down Principle as a Basis for Interoperability The Dumb-Down principle gives a guideline for qualification. The Dumb-Down principle suggests that a value of a qualified element has to be consistent as a value of the element  ...

Ee-Peng Lim, 2002

Chambers concise dictionary

v (dumbed, dumbing) tr & intr (always dumb down) to present (information) in a less sophisticated form in order to appeal to a larger number of people. [Anglo- Saxon] □ dumbly adv. 'dumbness/?. ♢ struck dumb silenced with astonishment, ...

Ian Brookes, 2004

Essentials of Business Communication

Why should business writers strive to use short, common, simple words? Does this “dumb down” business messages? 46 Chapter 2: Planning Business Messages Selecting Communication Channels Your Task. Using Figure 2.2, suggest the.

Mary Ellen Guffey, 2009

Constructing Local Environmental Agendas: People, Places and ...

Experts and how to deal with them: skill up or dumb down? I think that the only person that is an expert about your life is you. You are the person living it; you are the person experiencing it. No other person can be as expert about your life, your  ...

Susan Buckingham-Hatfield, Susan Percy, 2005

Fifty Years Among the New Words: A Dictionary of Neologisms ...

An example, especially of proliferation of meaning, is dumb down, which seems originally to have been motion picture slang (see the citation from 1933 and that from 1928 for dumb up, both from the extensive collection of Jonathan Lighter).

John Algeo, 1993

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DUMB DOWN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term dumb down is used in the context of the following news items.

Local control will help standing

Federal bureaucracies that promote common tests cannot possibly improve our educational systems. They can only dumb down our education ... «HeraldNet, Jul 15»

Boost support for TPP by rethinking ISDS

Some of the scare tactics used by left-leaning adversaries of international economic integration have been outlandish, serving to dumb down ... «The Hill, Jul 15»

Modern Christians and the Dumbing Down of Sin

When we dumb down sin, pretending it's just another valid choice; we lead those we love down a dangerous path of destruction. If we want ... «Christian Post, Jul 15»

In its day, the NME was so much more than a music mag

Meanwhile, with 300,000 casual punters now on board, how much will the publishers insist NME dumb down the references ("Their harmonies ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»

Education Secretary's Dangerous “Public Boarding Schools” Agenda

... Schools to Destroy America's Children, the government “education” regime is literally designed to dumb down U.S. students — deliberately. «The New American, Jul 15»

Classical music concerts for babies hit the right notes

We don't dumb down the music, which means babies can listen to great music, while parents enjoy a moment to nourish their souls. Toddlers ... «Day Nurseries, Jul 15»

Beautiful And Funny Women Talk About Claims That Women Can't …

I have never felt compelled to 'dress up' or 'dumb down' for the sake of other people's self-esteem. And my job as a glamorous court jester has ... «Marie Claire.co.uk, Jul 15»

Remarkable Rowan

... at least five schools and home- schooled for at least a year, he's been told to man up/behave or dumb down (and go to a special school), his ... «Trinidad News, Jul 15»

Sacramento School: Hey, Let's Dumb Down Education for Immigrants!

Sacramento School: Hey, Let's Dumb Down Education for Immigrants! Charlotte Hays | Jul 03, 2015. Charlotte Hays. Share on Facebook. SHARES. A republic ... «Town Hall, Jul 15»

How Divinity: Original Sin came to home consoles

We didn't simplify or dumb down any game systems, but we added a lot of extra things and we revised pieces of the world and the story that we ... «Red Bull, Jul 15»