as in TVs
an electronic device with a screen and speakers that reproduces images and sound
she declared that she wouldn't have an idiot box in her home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiot boxes
televisions
Noun
-
Now the venue is to be torn down later this year, the end to a destination just off the highway that was once full of televisions, betting counters and tables, and thick with the scent of afternoon and evening cocktails.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026 -
Absorptive, addictive, violent (and by then near-universal, with televisions flickering in ninety-five per cent of American homes), TV was officially a bad mom.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Idiot boxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiot%20boxes. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
