idiot

[id-ee-uht]

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!

   Synonyms: numbskull, dunce, dolt, imbecile, half-wit, fool

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.

idiot

/ ˈɪdɪət /

noun

1. a person with severe mental retardation

2. a foolish or senseless person

Other Word Forms

• idiotic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiot¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiot¹

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

Example Sentences

The Bayern Munich supervisory board member congratulated Stuttgart for "finding an idiot who will pay that much money" and stressed "we would have certainly not done that" during an interview with Blickpunkt Sport.

From BBC

Although it serves the practical and philosophical purposes of the story, Chad, who comes off as a sweet idiot, doesn’t make sense as a person Russ would imagine or inhabit.

From Los Angeles Times

One insider who has been part of conversations about the chances of changing the leader says, "it's not flighty people, not just newbies without a clue, they're not idiots".

From BBC

Instead he also condemned the violence against police as "utterly unacceptable", saying it was the work of "idiots".

From BBC

At one point, a microphone picked up someone in the meeting muttering “idiot” as Levi was talking.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fool 
• moron 
• nitwit 
• twit