idiot

[ id-ee-uht ]
See synonyms for: idiotidiotsidiotic on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Informal. an utterly foolish or senseless person: If you think you can wear that outfit to a job interview and get hired, you're an idiot!

  2. Psychology. (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) a person of the lowest order in a former and discarded classification of intellectual disability, having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.

Origin of idiot

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin idiōta, from Greek idiṓtēs “private person, layman, person lacking skill or expertise,” equivalent to idiō- (lengthened variant of idio- idio-, perhaps by analogy with stratiōtēs “professional soldier,” derivative of stratiá “army”) + -tēs agent noun suffix

Other words for idiot

Other words from idiot

  • id·i·ot·ic [id-ee-ot-ik], /ˌɪd iˈɒt ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby idiot

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How to use idiot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for idiot

idiot

/ (ˈɪdɪət) /


noun
  1. a person with severe mental retardation

  2. a foolish or senseless person

Origin of idiot

1
C13: from Latin idiōta ignorant person, from Greek idiōtēs private person, one who lacks professional knowledge, ignoramus; see idio-

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