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
There’s a heartwarming idiocy to their pursuit, yet what festers underneath is their inability to process grief consciously and the fear that those who deem their existence meaningless might be right.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Gunther and Tig are two billionaire failsons who have wasted countless opportunities and cash chasing the stupidest ideas and who get rewarded over and over again for their idiocy.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
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
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
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Gunther and Tig are two billionaire failsons who have wasted countless opportunities and cash chasing the stupidest ideas and who get rewarded over and over again for their idiocy.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
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
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
-
The film features a slew of genuine performances, which power up the violent insanity into something at once sensational and dramatic.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The worship of greatness leads, at best, to disillusionment and, at worst, to the insanity unleashed by the Wagnerian Hitler.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Outside of moments like this, however, such playful absurdity is often absent.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
13 Mar. 2026
-
This is not Margot Robbie eating a giant strawberry in Wuthering Heights, a choice that aims for delightful absurdity but ultimately feels mannered.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 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 21 Mar. 2026.
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