noun
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the quality or state of being stupid
-
a stupid act, remark, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stupidity
1535–45; < Latin stupiditās, equivalent to stupid ( us ) stupid + -itās -ity
Compare meaning
How does stupidity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Stupidity is the quality of being stupid. It’s the opposite of intelligence. Stupidity is responsible for many acts that follow the words, “Hey, watch this!” Being stupid has to do with not understanding things, not learning from past experiences, and generally not using your brain, so stupidity refers to this quality. Saying that someone did something because of stupidity is an insult because it means the person really should’ve known better. Riding in a shopping cart tied to the back of a car and zinging around a parking lot would be the result of some serious stupidity.
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.
See Examples For:
“That is stupidity 101. We have got to be better stewards of the American taxpayer’s dollar.”
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Schlossberg characterized himself and his campaign as “women-run and women-owned,” which objectively does not make sense but does inspire a kind of “OK, I guess” resignation toward light stupidity.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
"It shows the stupidity of the declassification process without historical knowledge," Zala believes.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
No, I will take full accountability and marinate in my stupidity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
“The stupidity of it gets my goat,” she said.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Long before “Don’t Look Up” or “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Beresford didn’t bother predicting the future; he simply explored the stupidities of the present.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2022
The book is a salute to them, not just a remembrance of my own stupidities.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2022
On screen, its screamy satire seemed too blunt; in mocking the obvious stupidities of television it also mocked its viewers.
From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2018
All these stupidities can be cured, but only if people with responsibility are given the freedom to use common sense.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2016
Because it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
