as in insanity
a foolish act or idea
trying to get that many people to agree on anything was pure idiocy
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Recent Examples of idiocy
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.
—
Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Harry and Finis refused to play Jack Donahoe’s game of commenting on every idiocy that came across their desks.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Telling the story of the clashing egos and raging idiocy of the fictional Spinal Tap, Reiner both directed and starred as the filmmaker-within-the-film Marty DiBergi.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
Advertisement Aster keenly satirizes Joe’s idiocy in the face of social upheaval through the iconography of Westerns.
—Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
But my naivete and idiocy about what this was going to take was staggering to me just six months later.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025
Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Harry and Finis refused to play Jack Donahoe’s game of commenting on every idiocy that came across their desks.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Telling the story of the clashing egos and raging idiocy of the fictional Spinal Tap, Reiner both directed and starred as the filmmaker-within-the-film Marty DiBergi.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
Advertisement Aster keenly satirizes Joe’s idiocy in the face of social upheaval through the iconography of Westerns.
—Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
But my naivete and idiocy about what this was going to take was staggering to me just six months later.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiocy
Noun
-
Reiner’s lawyers may plead insanity as part of his defense in connection with a long history of drug use and other mental health disorders.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Los Angeles entertainment and trial lawyer Tre Lovell tells USA TODAY that Reiner will likely plead not guilty by reason of insanity.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The luckiest among us endure these quotidian absurdities indirectly, via news stories and social media feeds, their consequences delayed until sometime in the future.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
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Undermain Theatre’s production, directed by Stefan Novinski, leans into the 1942 Pulitzer-winning play’s absurdity and its theme of repetitive human folly, starting with Donna Marquet’s busy set design.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Any who show up are declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Feb. 2026
-
As to the famous fine line between stupid and clever, the stupidity and the cleverness are all but inextricable, and to the point.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idiocy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiocy. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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