The addition of -ity to an adjective results in a shift of stress to the antepenultimate syllable; that is, words in -ity are stressed on the last syllable before the -ity, even in cases where this syllable is part of another suffix (as in words in -ability and -icity).
adjective, dumber, dumbest. 1. lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted. 2. lacking the power of speech (offensive when applied to humans): a dumb animal.
I'm a Communicator ;-) Posts: 1861. #2 (permalink) Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:55 pm Difference between stupid and dumb. I'm sure you have heard the word 'dumb' used to mean 'stupid', Alex. That is an extremely common way to use the word 'dumb'. A quick look at the American Heritage Dictionary (definition 6) will verify that meaning of the word 'dumb' for anyone who's interested: