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stupid

/ˈstupəd/
/ˈstupɪd/
IPA guide

Other forms: stupidest; stupider; stupids

A stupid person doesn’t have much intelligence or imagination, and they go through life making decisions that seem to lack all common sense. If you’ve got a brain but you don’t use it, you might be a bit stupid.

The word comes from a Latin adjective that means “amazed or stunned,” and stupid people are stunned by everything because their minds are numb. You can make a stupid mistake when you’re not thinking, and you can call someone stupid if you’re feeling cruel, like “Hey, Stupid.” Zombies are stupid because their brains are dead. If that makes sense to you, then you’re not stupid, and you’re also not a zombie. Well done!

Definitions of stupid
  1. adjective
    lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
    synonyms:
    anserine, dopey, dopy, foolish, gooselike, goosey, goosy, jerky
    having or revealing stupidity
    cloddish, doltish
    heavy and dull and stupid
    dense, dim, dull, dumb, obtuse, slow
    slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
    gaumless, gormless
    (British informal) lacking intelligence and vitality
    lumpen, lumpish, unthinking
    mentally sluggish
    nitwitted, senseless, soft-witted, witless
    (of especially persons) lacking sense or understanding or judgment
    weak
    deficient in intelligence or mental power
    yokel-like
    stupid and ignorant like proverbial rural inhabitants
    unintelligent
    lacking intelligence
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    smart
    showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
    astute, savvy, sharp, shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    cagey, cagy, canny, clever
    showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
    street smart, streetwise, with it, with-it
    having the shrewd resourcefulness needed to survive in an urban environment
    intelligent
    having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
  2. adjective
    lacking intelligence
    synonyms: unintelligent
    brainless, headless
    not using intelligence
  3. adjective
    in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
    “was stupid from fatigue”
    synonyms: dazed, stunned, stupefied
    confused
    mentally confused; unable to think with clarity or act intelligently
  4. noun
    a person who is not very bright
    “The economy, stupid!”
    see moresee less
    types:
    berk
    a stupid person who is easy to take advantage of
    blockhead, bonehead, dunce, dunderhead, hammerhead, knucklehead, loggerhead, lunkhead, muttonhead, numskull
    a stupid person; these words are used to express a low opinion of someone's intelligence
    klutz
    (Yiddish) a clumsy dolt
    type of:
    simple, simpleton
    a person lacking intelligence or common sense
Pronunciation
US
/ˈstupəd/
UK
/ˈstupɪd/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘stupid'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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