useful idiot

American  

[yoos-fuhl id-ee-uht] / ˈyus fəl ˈɪd i ət /

noun

plural

useful idiots

1. Disparaging. someone who is easily manipulated or exploited because they are favorably inclined yet naive or poorly informed (often used in politics).

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Example Sentences

Now, most anyone who helped themselves to an extra Thanksgiving serving of Big Tech probably feels like a useful idiot.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

Her conclusion was startling, her tone defiant: “Put me wherever you want: misguided socialist, toothless humanist, naïve novelist, useful idiot, apologist, denier, ally, contrarian, collaborator, traitor, inexcusable coward.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025

When Mr Pickard quit the bank last year, he told the Financial Times that he didn't want to be used as a "useful idiot".

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2024

Carlson was called a "useful idiot" by many observers, a phrasing that suggests he might have been sincerely confused about whether an expensive neighborhood in Moscow was representative of the entire nation.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2024

He was a most intelligent and useful idiot.

From Round the Block by Bouton, John Bell