stupid

[stoo-pid, styoo‑] / ˈstu pɪd, ˈstju‑ /

ADJECTIVE

not intelligent; irresponsible

Synonyms

STRONGEST

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

STRONG

dummy loser rash thick unintelligent

WEAK

brainless dazed deficient dense dim doltish dopey gullible half-baked half-witted idiotic imbecilic inane indiscreet insensate meaningless mindless moronic nonsensical obtuse out to lunch pointless puerile simpleminded slow sluggish stolid stupefied thick-headed unthinking witless

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bright careful intelligent prudent reasonable sensible serious sharp smart thoughtful wise

WEAK

cognizant responsible

Usage

What are other ways to say stupid? The adjective stupid implies natural slowness or dullness of intellect, or, sometimes, a benumbed or dazed state of mind; it is also used to mean foolish or silly: He was rendered stupid by a blow; It is stupid to do such a thing. Foolish implies a lack of common sense or good judgment or, sometimes, a weakness of mind: a foolish decision; The child seems foolish. Fatuous implies being not only foolish, dull, and vacant in mind, but complacent and highly self-satisfied as well: fatuous and self-important; fatuous answers. Silly denotes extreme and conspicuous foolishness; it may also refer to pointlessness of jokes, remarks, etc.: silly and senseless behavior; a perfectly silly statement. Inane applies to silliness that is notably lacking in content, sense, or point: inane questions that leave one with no reply. Asinine originally meant like an ass; it applies to witlessly stupid conversations or conduct and suggests a lack of social grace or perception: He failed to notice the reaction to his asinine remarks.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

stupid stupider stupidest

But no editor in the world could recut something like “Gail Daughtry” into a two-minute preview that accurately conveys just how joyous and stupid this film is.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

It makes me feel stupid for believing him.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Shockingly, the letter seems to be pushing for a return to standardized tests by, in effect, arguing that a growing percentage of their students are simply too stupid to succeed, no matter what professors do.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

To adapt a line from the political strategist James Carville: It’s the phones, stupid!

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

“Oh,” I said, feeling supremely stupid because of course there wasn’t a recap.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

“I was a bit stupider back then,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

“When they need to make stupid stupider, they send me up. I’m part comedian, I’m part activist, I’m part artist. I just want a better society,” Stevens said.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 16, 2024

Other news reports more definitively declared that, yes, ChatGPT is becoming stupider.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 2, 2023

I will admit that since publishing the book, I have been more open to the possibility that social media have been making us stupider.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2021

But Nenny, who is stupider, already is asking how much and I can see her fingers going for the quarters in her pants pocket.

From "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros

He said: "We send Uganda money to plant trees as well, because we won that competition, who can find the stupidest use of taxpayers' money"

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

Some pundits might be calling it “the most important chart in the world,” Perkins said, but in reality, it is closer to “the stupidest chart in the world.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2025

That’s “completely bogus,” writes TS Lombard Managing Director Dario Perkins, who calls it “the stupidest chart in the world.”

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025

That is one of the stupidest things I’ve heard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025

“That is the stupidest idea I have ever heard,” said Smithy.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

stupid

Usage

Example Sentences

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