stupid

adjective stu·pid \ ˈstü-pəd , ˈstyü- \

Definition of stupid

1 a :slow of mind :obtuse

b :given to unintelligent decisions or acts :acting in an unintelligent or careless manner

c :lacking intelligence or reason :brutish

2 :dulled in feeling or sensation :torpid

still stupid from the sedative

3 :marked by or resulting from unreasoned thinking or acting :senseless

a stupid decision

4 a :lacking interest or point

a stupid event

b :vexatious, exasperating

the stupid car won't start

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stupidly

adverb

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stupidness

noun

See stupid defined for English-language learners

See stupid defined for kids

Examples of stupid in a Sentence

She angrily described her boss as a stupid old man.
He had a stupid expression on his face.
I'm not stupid enough to fall for that trick.
Why are you being so stupid?
It was stupid of me to try to hide this from you.
We were stupid to wait so long before we made a decision.
I did some pretty stupid things when I was young.
Two glasses of wine are enough to make me stupid.
I was stupid with fatigue.

Recent Examples of stupid from the Web

Most people don’t realize how many crimes are committed by young stupid men or boys.

— maura ewing, The Atlantic, "Why So Few Violent Offenders Are Let Out on Parole," 29 Aug. 2017
And founder control can ensure long-term thinking that avoids stupid short-term moves.

— adam lashinsky, Fortune, "Data Sheet: Steve Jobs’ Regret, Tech vs. Neo-Nazis, Bitcoin Highs," 18 Aug. 2017
Half the human race is inherently stupid – and this has been proven through all of human history?

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Charlottesville Response Should Change Everything—and Will Change Nothing," 18 Aug. 2017
That’s the Chevrolet Camaro SS in 2016: stupid fast and strikingly comfortable.

— josh jacquot, Car and Driver, "2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS," 19 July 2017
I have been assumed thug, robber, dangerous, stupid, poor and pitiful because of the color of my skin.

— michael harriot, The Root, "In Defense of ‘Wypipo’," 19 July 2017
Here's the problem, though: Running a government like a business a stupid idea (businesses are bottom-line oriented; functional governments are people oriented).

— jake woolf, GQ, "Why Is Jared Kushner Reading a Book About Sneakers?," 14 July 2017
Yet there is no evidence of this, and putting such a request in such a way as to leave a paper trail would be mind-numbingly stupid.

— The Economist, "Donald Trump junior’s e-mails," 13 July 2017
Smart, witty and mostly unflappable, Bonnie saved us all from stupid (and sometimes embarrassing) typos, misspellings and illogical sentences.

— jill sell, cleveland.com, "Several Ohio cities place highly in real estate surveys and other news," 9 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stupid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stupid

Middle French stupide, from Latin stupidus, from stupēre to be numb, be astonished — more at ¹type

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1541

See Words from the same year

stupid Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of stupid

stupid, dull, dense, crass, dumb mean lacking in power to absorb ideas or impressions. stupid implies a slow-witted or dazed state of mind that may be either congenital or temporary.

- stupid students just keeping the seats warm
- stupid with drink

dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock.

- monotonous work that leaves the mind dull

dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas.

- too dense to take a hint

crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy.

- a crass, materialistic people

dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension.

- too dumb to figure out what's going on

stupid

noun

Definition of stupid

:a stupid person

Examples of stupid in a Sentence

a genius at math, but a total stupid when it came to his love life

First Known Use of stupid

1712

stupid Synonyms

Synonyms

airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll (or clodpole), clot [British], cluck, clunk, cretin, cuddy (or cuddie) [British dialect], deadhead, dim bulb [slang], dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus [slang], dope, dork [slang], dullard, dumbbell, dumbhead, dum-dum, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, gander, golem, goof, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, hardhead, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead [chiefly dialect], loon, lump, lunkhead, meathead, mome [archaic], moron, mug [chiefly British], mutt, natural, nimrod [slang], nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit [chiefly British], nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull (or numbskull), oaf, pinhead, prat [British], ratbag [chiefly Australian], saphead, schlub (also shlub) [slang], schnook [slang], simpleton, stock, stupe, idiot, thickhead, turkey, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo

Antonyms

brain, genius

Related Words

booby, buffoon, fool, goose, loony, lunatic, madman, nut, zany; loser; gawk; featherbrain, scatterbrain; beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cur, heel, jerk, skunk, snake, stinker, villain; bimbette [slang], bimbo [slang], himbo

Near Antonyms

egghead, intellect, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard; polymath, Renaissance man; sharpie (or sharpy)

STUPID Defined for English Language Learners

stupid

adjective

Definition of stupid for English Language Learners

: not intelligent : having or showing a lack of ability to learn and understand things
: not sensible or logical
: not able to think normally because you are drunk, tired, etc.