Idiotic

ˌɪdiˈɒtɪk

adjectivemedium📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning2 idioms/phrases2 questions

Definitions

1

Displaying or characterized by complete lack of common sense; utterly foolish or stupid.

ˌɪdiˈɒtɪk

adjectivenegativemedium
General

Extremely foolish or stupid

That was an idiotic thing to do!

💡 Simply: Imagine someone tripping over their own feet while trying to be cool. That's idiotic! It's when you do something really silly or dumb.

👶 For kids: When someone does something really, really silly and not smart.

More Examples

2

He made an idiotic decision and lost all his money.

3

The plot of the movie was idiotic.

How It's Used

Everyday Conversation

"It was idiotic of him to drive so fast in the rain."

Literature

"The hero's idiotic choices led to his downfall."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

idiot box

A derogatory term for a television.

"He spends all day in front of the idiot box."

act like an idiot

To behave in a foolish or stupid manner.

"Stop acting like an idiot and listen to what I'm saying!"

From Greek *idiōtēs* meaning 'private person, layman', later evolving to denote someone lacking understanding or intelligence, reflecting a perceived lack of public engagement or knowledge.

The word 'idiotic' and 'idiot' evolved from the Greek *idiōtēs*, referring to a private citizen, and eventually took on the connotation of someone lacking understanding. Early uses often linked it with a lack of education or knowledge.

Memory tip

Think of someone who constantly makes silly mistakes; they are idiotic.

Word Origin

LanguageGreek
Original meaning

"private person, layman (later evolving into foolishness)"

idiotic decisionidiotic mistakeidiotic ideaidiotic behavior

Common misspellings

idioticcideoticidiotick

Usage

70%Spoken
30%Written