idiot

[ id-ee-uht ]

noun

1. Informal. an utterly foolish or senseless person:

   If you think you can wear that outfit to a job interview and get hired, you're an idiot!

   Synonyms: numbskull, dunce, dolt, imbecile, half-wit, fool

2. Psychology. (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) a person of the lowest order in a former and discarded classification of intellectual disability, having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.

idiot

/ ˈɪdɪət /

noun

1. a person with severe mental retardation
2. a foolish or senseless person

Other Words From

• id·i·ot·ic [id-ee-, ot, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiot¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin idiōta, from Greek idiṓtēs “private person, layman, person lacking skill or expertise,” equivalent to idiō- (lengthened variant of idio- idio-, perhaps by analogy with stratiōtēs “professional soldier,” derivative of stratiá “army”) + -tēs agent noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiot¹

C13: from Latin idiōta ignorant person, from Greek idiōtēs private person, one who lacks professional knowledge, ignoramus; see idio-

Example Sentences

Im said there are times he wonders whether they were right: “Maybe it’s true that I’m an idiot.”

From Los Angeles Times

He voiced frustration at the duo prematurely giving up its “lucky place on top of the world” and expressed he needed space from Simon, whom he called an “idiot” and “jerk” in the interview.

From Los Angeles Times

Two were Russian operas based on Dostoevsky novels: Prokofiev’s little-known “The Gambler” and Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s all-but-unknown “The Idiot.”

From Los Angeles Times

“The Idiot” is a nearly five-hour slog by a Polish-Russian contemporary of Shostakovich about another Dostoevsky outsider who succumbs to visions of grandeur.

From Los Angeles Times

And thanks to a terrific cast, led by sensational Ukrainian tenor Bogdan Volkov, and the vivid conducting of Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla’s sleekly modern production by Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski, “The Idiot” turned out to be Salzburg’s hottest ticket.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fool
• moron
• nitwit
• twit