STUPID Synonyms: 459 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'stupid' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of stupid are crass , dense , dull , and dumb . While all these words 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

Q: When is it sensible to use 'crass' instead of 'stupid'?

The words crass and stupid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy. // a crass , materialistic people

Q: When can 'dense' be used instead of 'stupid'?

Although the words dense and stupid have much in common, dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas. // too dense to take a hint

Q: When is 'dull' a more appropriate choice than 'stupid'?

While in some cases nearly identical to stupid , dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock. // monotonous work that leaves the mind dull

Q: In what contexts can 'dumb' take the place of 'stupid'?

In some situations, the words dumb and stupid are roughly equivalent. However, dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension. // too dumb to figure out what's going on

stupid 1 of 2

adjective

ˈstü-pəd

Definition of stupid

as in dumb

not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily we watched as the stupid squirrels tried unsuccessfully to find a way to get the seeds from the new bird feeder there are no stupid questions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest I can't believe we sat through the whole stupid movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in foolish

showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment not liking the captain is a stupid reason to quit the team

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stupid

2 of 2

noun

as in idiot

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective stupid contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of stupid are crass, dense, dull, and dumb. While all these words 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

When is it sensible to use crass instead of stupid?

The words crass and stupid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy.

a crass, materialistic people

When can dense be used instead of stupid?

Although the words dense and stupid have much in common, dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas.

too dense to take a hint

When is dull a more appropriate choice than stupid?

While in some cases nearly identical to stupid, dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock.

monotonous work that leaves the mind dull

In what contexts can dumb take the place of stupid?

In some situations, the words dumb and stupid are roughly equivalent. However, dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension.

too dumb to figure out what's going on

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 stupid

Adjective

He’s handcuffed to this stupid project, and swaths of people have instantly turned their back on him without knowing any of the facts. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 The end of Sunday’s Last Week Tonight featured a characteristically stupid, yet insightful segment about effective ways to push back against corny and annoying corporate branding. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Noun

Problem is, even people who know baseball don’t know baseball, which makes betting on baseball stupid. — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026 The scale of the headloss was best summed up by Luis Suarez attempting to reason with Messi, before the Argentine did anything on the Suarez scale of stupid. — Phil Hay, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stupid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stupid

Adjective

And that's exactly where Glenn was for the second time this season — guilty of the dumbest moment of the week.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
There’s a dumb ending, involving the Bewitched theme and Dennis Rodman discussing the perils of adult illiteracy (sure), but everything before that is pretty fun, including the Bumblebee Man turning into a bumblebee and Lisa into Albert Einstein.

— Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of dumb

Noun

The fact that there is someone out there who could actually get all the real unsuspecting morons who participated in this movie to sign off on it afterwards is simply astonishing considering what they are asked to do in it.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
The unlikely source is Enervate’s company stooge corporate strategist, Ken Davies (Tim Key), a moron by any measure.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of moron

Adjective

Tommy Gemmell, advanced from left-back, provided the equaliser on 63 minutes and with Inter tiring and Celtic still pushing, Chalmers scored the famous winner with six minutes left.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
But after a while, the lack of grounding gets tiring, as various supernatural shenanigans appear to be determined more by plot convenience than anything else.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of tiring

Adjective

The feds gave the state a silly 48-hour deadline to agree to change constitutional law, dump common sense and sequester these 20,000 ballots, if they were even returned, to double-check they were cast by valid voters.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Performed by legends Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, the silly song is a tongue-twister for kiddos, and the titular word, which means ‘extraordinarily good, wonderful’ even made its way into some real deal dictionaries.

— Stephanie Ganz Published, Parents, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of silly

Adjective

The actor wore a long black leather coat over a simple black tank, paired with straight-leg blue jeans cinched with a leather belt.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
The company played with flexible workdays instead of rigid schedules, clearer windows for collaboration, simpler rules for meetings, better ways to share and document work, and more intentional reasons for coming together in person.

— Deborah Lovich, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of simple

Browse Nearby Words

stupes

stupid

stupidities

See all Nearby Words

Articles Related to stupid

Cite this Entry

Style

“Stupid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stupid. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of stupid

adjective

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Ye Olde Nincompoop

'Dunderhead' and Other ‘Nicer’ Ways...

Funner, Stupider, and Other Words That...

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes