stupid

1 of 2

adjective

stu·​pid ˈstü-pəd 

ˈstyü-

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

stupidly adverb

stupidness noun

stupid

2 of 2

noun

: a stupid person

Frequently Asked Questions

Is stupider a word?

Stupider is a perfectly good word that has been in use for hundreds of years. More stupid is also commonly used for the same purpose.

Is stupidest a word?

The word stupidest has been in use for hundreds of years; there is nothing wrong with it. Most stupid means the same thing, and people who don't like stupidest should feel free to use it instead.

How do you use stupider in a sentence?

Stupider can be used in any sentence in which degrees of stupidity are being compared. Many respected writers have used it, among them Louisa May Alcott, L. M. Montgomery, G.K. Chesterton, Thomas Hardy, and Jane Austen. In George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman, Don Juan says "Still, you must have noticed in your profession that even a stupid general can win battles when the enemy's general is a little stupider."

Synonyms

Adjective

• airheaded
• birdbrained
• bonehead
• boneheaded
• brain-dead
• brainless
• bubbleheaded
• chuckleheaded
• dense
• dim
• dim-witted
• doltish
• dopey
• dopy
• dorky [slang]
• dull
• dumb
• dunderheaded
• empty-headed
• fatuous
• gormless [chiefly British]
• half-witted
• knuckleheaded
• lamebrain
• lamebrained
• lunkheaded
• mindless
• oafish
• obtuse
• opaque
• pinheaded
• senseless
• simple
• slow
• slow-witted
• soft
• softheaded
• thick
• thickheaded
• thick-witted
• unintelligent
• unsmart
• vacuous
• weak-minded
• witless

Noun

• airhead
• birdbrain
• blockhead
• bonehead
• bubblehead
• chowderhead
• chucklehead
• clodpoll
• clodpole
• clot [British]
• cluck
• clunk
• cretin
• cuddy [British dialect]
• cuddie
• deadhead
• dim bulb [slang]
• dimwit
• dip
• dodo
• dolt
• donkey
• doofus [slang]
• dope
• dork [slang]
• dullard
• dum-dum
• dumbbell
• dumbhead
• dummkopf
• dummy
• dunce
• dunderhead
• fathead
• gander
• golem
• goof
• goon
• half-wit
• hammerhead
• hardhead
• idiot
• 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
• numbskull
• oaf
• pinhead
• prat [British]
• ratbag [chiefly Australian]
• saphead
• schlub [slang]
• shlub
• schnook [slang]
• simpleton
• stock
• stupe
• thickhead
• turkey
• woodenhead
• yahoo
• yo-yo

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of stupid in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The conceit, pulled from Renée Knight’s 2015 novel of the same name, is at first pleasingly retrograde, then turns remarkably stupid. —Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2024

Some would complain and say stupid crap (real world town meetings are certainly filled with this behavior) but there’s no balance to it here. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Noun

An underrated gem — not enough people have seen this top-tier season — Squirrels Trip has some fabulous vocals, very funny lyrics, a heavy dose of stupid, and an engaging story. —Barry Levitt, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024

The stupid! —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1640, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

stupid

adjective

stu·​pid

ˈst(y)ü-pəd

1

a

: dull of mind : dense

b

: given to unwise decisions or actions : unthinking

2

: dulled in feeling or sensation

3

: showing or resulting from foolish thinking or acting : senseless

a stupid mistake

4

: not interesting or worthwhile : boring

a stupid movie

stupidly adverb

stupidness noun