stupid

[ stoo-pid, styoo‑ ]

adjective

, stu·pid·er, stu·pid·est.

1. lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; slow-witted.
2. characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless:

   Sorry for asking a stupid question, but why is the answer four instead of five?

3. tediously boring, especially due to lack of meaning or sense; inane; pointless:

   He wished he'd never come to such a stupid party.

4. annoying or irritating; troublesome:

   Turn off that stupid radio.

5. in a state of stupor; stupefied:

   After a twelve-hour work day, she was stupid from fatigue.

6. Slang. excellent; terrific.

noun

1. Informal. a stupid person.

stupid

/ ˈstjuːpɪd /

adjective

1. lacking in common sense, perception, or normal intelligence
2. usually postpositive stunned, dazed, or stupefied

   stupid from lack of sleep

3. having dull mental responses; slow-witted
4. trivial, silly, or frivolous

noun

1. informal.
   a stupid person

Confusables Note

Stupid, ignorant, and unintelligent are all used to refer to people or things that seem to show a lack of mental resources. Stupid is the most general and most insulting term, and can describe someone lacking in intelligence, wisdom, prudence, or mental quickness. Unintelligent refers to people or things that are lacking in capacity for learning, reasoning, or understanding. Ignorant, by contrast, generally means lacking in knowledge (not necessarily lacking in intelligence).

Derived Forms

• ˈstupidness, noun
• ˈstupidly, adverb

Other Words From

• stu·pid·ly adverb
• stu·pid·ness noun
• un·stu·pid adjective
• un·stu·pid·ly adverb
• un·stu·pid·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stupid¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin stupidus, equivalent to stup(ēre) “to be numb, to be stunned” + -idus -id ⁴( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of stupid¹

C16: from French stupide, from Latin stupidus silly, from stupēre to be amazed

Synonym Study

See dull.

Example Sentences

Ben Collins, a former NBC News journalist who is chief executive of The Onion’s parent company, said on X: “We're planning on making a very stupid website.”

From BBC

Like Krikorian, Taylor described Crusius’ actions as “fantastically stupid.”

From Salon

“Wow,” former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, posted on X. “Trump picking Pete Hegseth is the most hilariously predictably stupid thing.”

From Los Angeles Times

Thune, while patient, seemed agonized during the first Trump administration whenever he was asked about whatever stupid tweet Trump had put out at 7 in the morning.

From Slate

"I felt so stupid and out of place for not knowing private schools existed and so it affected my academic ability," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• dull
• dumb
• foolish
• futile
• ill-advised
• irrelevant
• laughable
• ludicrous
• naive
• senseless
• shortsighted
• simple
• trivial