variants
also idiotical
as in dumb
having or showing an inability to understand or make sensible choices
He ended up making millions from an idea that many had dismissed as idiotic. I'm afraid I said some really idiotic things yesterday.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of idiotic
There are bad individuals who should not be in this country for sure, but putting everyone into the same basket is idiotic.
—
Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 1 Jan. 2026
In Johnston’s reimagining, Jim and Credenza Twit operate the most disgusting, dangerous, and idiotic amusement park in the world, Twitlandia.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
That’s just idiotic foreign policy.
—Jamie McIntyre, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
The Chiefs open with the J’s Friday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is patently idiotic, but at least the loser can blame it on the bossa nova.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idiotic
Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 1 Jan. 2026
In Johnston’s reimagining, Jim and Credenza Twit operate the most disgusting, dangerous, and idiotic amusement park in the world, Twitlandia.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
That’s just idiotic foreign policy.
—Jamie McIntyre, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
The Chiefs open with the J’s Friday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is patently idiotic, but at least the loser can blame it on the bossa nova.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idiotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiotic
Adjective
-
This is a dumb move by both parties.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Amazon is reportedly considering a dumb phone design to make this an additional device people would use alongside their typical Android phone or iPhone, rather than competing to become their main handset.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Kyle Tucker got a ridiculous four-year, $240 million deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that’s not their fault.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Healey is clearly not a hunter and looks ridiculous trying to pretend to be one.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Though the process of how it is utilized can be debated, having emergency stocks of a vital resource subject to supply crises can hardly be called irrational.—
Scott L. Montgomery,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
-
My greatest irrational fear was that the machine might squeeze far tighter than necessary and I’d just be stuck there in immense pain until someone unplugged the cord.—
Zachary Bernstein,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Across Southern California, e-bike popularity has soared, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic — with a disportionate number of young riders ignorant or ignoring the rules of the road, authorities say, leading to crashes and in some cases fatalities.—
Nathaniel Percy,
Oc Register,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Having access to knowledge and being able to collectively reflect are rights too precious to surrender to those who prefer us ignorant.—
Megan Thiele Strong,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As in Williams’ case, attorneys argued that a sweep had violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights protecting them from unreasonable search and seizure, as well as their 14th Amendment right to due process.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Because that is ultimately what The Secret Garden is about—the stubborn, almost unreasonable insistence of living things to grow toward the light.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Idiotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiotic. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
