stupid

[stoo-pid, styoo‐]

adjective, stu·pid·er, stu·pid·est.

lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.

characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless: a stupid question.

tediously dull, especially due to lack of meaning or sense; inane; pointless: a stupid party.

annoying or irritating; troublesome: Turn off that stupid radio.

in a state of stupor; stupefied: stupid from fatigue.

Slang. excellent; terrific.

noun

Informal. a stupid person.

Origin of stupid

1535–45; < Latin stupidus, equivalent to stup(ēre) to be numb or stunned + -idus -id⁴

Related formsstu·pid·ly, adverbstu·pid·ness, nounun·stu·pid, adjectiveun·stu·pid·ly, adverbun·stu·pid·ness, noun

Can be confusedignorant stupid

Synonym study

1. See dull.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stupidest

simple, irrelevant, naive, ludicrous, senseless, dumb, futile, ill-advised, laughable, foolish, trivial, dull, shortsighted, dummy, thick, rash, loser, unintelligent, brainless, dazed

British Dictionary definitions for stupidest

stupid

adjective

lacking in common sense, perception, or normal intelligence

(usually postpositive) stunned, dazed, or stupefiedstupid from lack of sleep

having dull mental responses; slow-witted

trivial, silly, or frivolous

noun

informal a stupid person

Derived Formsstupidly, adverbstupidness, noun

Word Origin for stupid

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stupidest

stupid

adj.

1540s, "mentally slow," from Middle French stupide, from Latin stupidus "amazed, confounded," literally "struck senseless," from stupere "be stunned, amazed, confounded," from PIE *(s)tupe- "hit," from root *(s)teu- (see steep (adj.)).

Native words for this idea include negative compounds with words for "wise" (cf. Old English unwis, unsnotor, ungleaw), also dol (see dull), and dysig (see dizzy). Stupid retained its association with stupor and its overtones of "stunned by surprise, grief, etc." into mid-18c. The difference between stupid and the less opprobrious foolish roughly parallels that of German töricht vs. dumm but does not exist in most European languages.