witling

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those sales are witling away the supply glut as industrial consumption strengthens.

From BusinessWeek

Ah! why did I invoke the nine To aid these humble toils of mine— That now forebode through every page The witling's sneer, the critic's rage.

From Project Gutenberg

Far hence the Wag's and Witling's scurril jest, Whose noise and nonsense shock the decent guest; True Wit and Humour such low helps decline, Nor will the Graces owe their charms to wine.

From Project Gutenberg

The caricaturists took a mean advantage of his phenomenal leanness, and called him the “Duke of Barebones,” and a Court witling made the cruel jest that “the French had sent over the preliminaries of an ambassador to conclude the preliminaries of a peace.”

From Project Gutenberg

There is no analogy in the cases compared: a “darling” or little dear unites dear, an expression of love, with little, implying that dependance which enhances love; while “witling” or little wit unites wit, an expression of talent, with little, meaning the small quantity or absence of the talent alluded to; and it is because the latter term means, not physical littleness, which well associates with love, but moral littleness and mental degradation, that it becomes a term of contempt.

From Project Gutenberg