idiocy

American  

[id-ee-uh-see] / ˈɪd i ə si /

noun

plural

idiocies

1. utterly senseless or foolish behavior; a stupid or foolish act, statement, etc..

   All this talk of zombies coming to attack us is pure idiocy.

   Synonyms:

   folly, inanity, foolishness

2. Psychology. (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) an intellectual disability, previously classified in a now obsolete rubric of developmental disorders as having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.

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idiocy British  

/ ˈɪdɪəsɪ /

noun

1. (not in technical usage) severe mental retardation

2. foolishness or senselessness; stupidity

3. a foolish act or remark

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Etymology

Origin of idiocy

First recorded in 1520–30; from Medieval Latin idiotia “imbecility,” from Hellenistic Greek idiōteía “uncouthness, ignorance,” Greek “state of being a private person”; see origin at idiot, -cy

Explanation

Idiocy is extreme stupidity. If you skied down a dangerous slope with little experience and no helmet, your friends would be right to comment on your idiocy. When someone behaves in a foolish way, showing no evidence that they've thought about their actions, you can call it idiocy. You could scold your little brother, "Your idiocy in the bouncy house made it impossible for anyone else to have fun at the party," or criticize the idiocy of your governor's decision to refuse federal funds for school lunches. The noun idiot came before idiocy, and both words originally had psychiatric meanings that are now obsolete.

Example Sentences

"Any man who has ever worn a suit that is too tight in the elbow has encountered this issue. Idiocy," Domenech said about Trump's sip of water.

From Fox News • Jun. 15, 2020

Idiocy and malice are difficult problems to solve.

From BBC • Oct. 5, 2015

Idiocy and myopia is someone who does not understand that a Chickenhawk is essentially a hypocrite.

From New York Times • Dec. 11, 2014

Then came his idiot trilogy: Somewhere in Ireland A Village is Missing an Idiot, An Idiot for All Seasons and The Power of Positive Idiocy, anthologies culled mostly from columns he wrote for Golf Magazine.

From Golf Digest • Feb. 12, 2013

Idiocy also is very uncommon, only one case having come under my observation. 31B�sa, Sim�lao River, middle Ag�san.

From The Manóbos of Mindanáo Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume XXIII, First Memoir by Garvan, John M.

Related Words

• insanity
• lunacy
• madness