idiotic
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of an idiot.
-
senselessly foolish or stupid.
an idiotic remark.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of idiotic
1705–15; < Late Latin idiōticus < Greek idiōtikós private, ignorant. See idiot, -ic
Explanation
Something that's idiotic is very, very stupid. It would be idiotic to turn down your lottery winnings because you're too lazy to go claim them. An idiotic song is boring, repetitive and has ridiculous lyrics, and an idiotic TV show is badly written and terribly acted. Your dad might describe his dog as idiotic if she manages to find a skunk every single time she goes outdoors. The adjective idiotic is informal, and it comes from the Latin idioticus, "uneducated or ignorant," with the Greek root idiotikos, "unprofessional or unskilled."
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.
Plenty of people in the 1920s thought radio programming was a noisy, idiotic embarrassment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
In a rollicking monologue, Fry described all opera as comedy, tragedy merely being the result of idiotic egos incapable of levity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
Releasing a film like “Michael” into that universe isn’t bold; it verges on idiotic.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
I close with the special force of the idiotic idea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
The negative column filled up fastest with words like stupid, disgraceful, foolish, laughable, wasteful, outraged, idiotic, scandalous, uninformed, half-baked, shamefully.
From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
