brain-dead
English
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brain-dead
- /ˈbɹeɪnˌdɛd/
Where it comes from
From brain + dead. Coined by the Harvard physician Henry K. Beecher in the historical context of the Sixties counterculture and life extension technology of the late twentieth century.
adjective more brain-dead · most brain-dead · brain dead · braindead
- Having an irreversible loss of brain function and cessation of brain activity. An employee of the mayor's office was declared brain-dead on Sunday morning after she and another woman were struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, the authorities said.
- Having no useful thoughts; stupid; ditzy. "AI has been brain-dead since the 1970s," said AI guru Marvin Minsky in a recent speech at Boston University. Minsky co-founded the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 1959 with John McCarthy.
noun brain-deads · brain dead · braindead
- An unintelligent person. "What makes you different from all the other brain-deads that come through here?"
Translations
Every language
adj in medicine: having irreversible cessation of brain activity
| Español | muerto cerebral |
|---|---|
| Português | com morte cerebral, cerebralmente morto |
| Français | en état de mort cérébrale |
| Deutsch | hirntot |
adj colloquially: having no useful thoughts
| Español | muerto cerebral, descerebrado |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 脑残 nǎocán |
| Português | descerebrado |
| Italiano | cerebroleso, testa vuota |
Talk about this word "brain-dead." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/brain-dead. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. brain-dead. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/brain-dead "brain-dead." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/brain-dead.Cite this
@misc{brain_dead_2026,
title = {brain-dead},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/brain-dead},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
