stupid

[ stoo-pid, styoo‑ ]

adjective

stupider, stupidest.

1. lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; slow-witted.
2. characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless:

   Sorry for asking a stupid question, but why is the answer four instead of five?

3. tediously boring, especially due to lack of meaning or sense; inane; pointless:

   He wished he'd never come to such a stupid party.

4. annoying or irritating; troublesome:

   Turn off that stupid radio.

5. in a state of stupor; stupefied:

   After a twelve-hour work day, she was stupid from fatigue.

6. Slang. excellent; terrific.

noun

1. Informal. a stupid person.

stupid

/ ˈstjuːpɪd /

adjective

1. lacking in common sense, perception, or normal intelligence
2. usually postpositive stunned, dazed, or stupefied

   stupid from lack of sleep

3. having dull mental responses; slow-witted
4. trivial, silly, or frivolous

noun

1. informal.
   a stupid person

Confusables Note

Stupid, ignorant, and unintelligent are all used to refer to people or things that seem to show a lack of mental resources. Stupid is the most general and most insulting term, and can describe someone lacking in intelligence, wisdom, prudence, or mental quickness. Unintelligent refers to people or things that are lacking in capacity for learning, reasoning, or understanding. Ignorant, by contrast, generally means lacking in knowledge (not necessarily lacking in intelligence).

Derived Forms

• ˈstupidness, noun
• ˈstupidly, adverb

Other Words From

• stu·pid·ly adverb
• stu·pid·ness noun
• un·stu·pid adjective
• un·stu·pid·ly adverb
• un·stu·pid·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stupid¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin stupidus, equivalent to stup(ēre) “to be numb, to be stunned” + -idus -id ⁴( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of stupid¹

C16: from French stupide, from Latin stupidus silly, from stupēre to be amazed

Synonym Study

See dull.

Example Sentences

The committee also recommended suspending Lord Stone of Blackheath, a former Labour peer, for six months over bullying after calling security staff "thick" and "stupid".

From BBC

"If victims are walking into a police station and those police do not understand what romance fraud is, they're making that journey more traumatic by shaming the victim or making them feel stupid," she said.

From BBC

We think of people on the other side as both very stupid — voting against their own self-interest — and very evil, intentionally trying to harm others.

From Salon

Mr Craig has previously described the bet as a "stupid error" and said he planned to give any winnings to local charities.

From BBC

He’s seen everything, and most of it feels stupid.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dull
• dumb
• foolish
• futile
• ill-advised
• irrelevant
• laughable
• ludicrous
• naive
• senseless
• shortsighted
• simple
• trivial

When To Use

What are other ways to say stupid?

The adjective stupid describes things characterized or proceeding from mental dullness. Do you know when to use stupid, fatuous, silly, inane, foolish, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.