stupid 1 of 2

1
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily we watched as the stupid squirrels tried unsuccessfully to find a way to get the seeds from the new bird feeder there are no stupid questions

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest I can't believe we sat through the whole stupid movie

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

stupid

2 of 2

noun

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a stupid question
a dumb question
a silly question
an idiotic question
a foolish question
a lame question
a stupid idea
a dumb idea
an idiotic idea
a bad idea
a terrible idea
a horrible idea
a stupid story
a dumb story
a silly story
a lame story
a bad story
a pointless story
a stupid war
a dumb war
an idiotic war
a foolish war
a senseless war
a pointless war

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective stupid contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of stupid are crass, dense, dull, and dumb. While all these words mean "lacking in power to absorb ideas or impressions," stupid implies a slow-witted or dazed state of mind that may be either congenital or temporary.

stupid students just keeping the seats warm
stupid with drink

When is it sensible to use crass instead of stupid?

The words crass and stupid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy.

a crass, materialistic people

When can dense be used instead of stupid?

Although the words dense and stupid have much in common, dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas.

too dense to take a hint

When is dull a more appropriate choice than stupid?

While in some cases nearly identical to stupid, dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock.

monotonous work that leaves the mind dull

In what contexts can dumb take the place of stupid?

In some situations, the words dumb and stupid are roughly equivalent. However, dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension.

too dumb to figure out what's going on

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stupid
Adjective
The risk, of course, is that the North Koreans will learn what those Russian marines learned recently: that their commanders are cruel, ignorant or both—and that following stupid orders from uncaring officers is bad for your health. David Axe, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 Every editor who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that endorsements are of modest influence at best. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
But those options continue to be out of reach for the majority of those who are afflicted with this stupid, infuriating skin condition. Megan McIntyre, refinery29.com, 9 June 2022 Somebody who is dyslexic sometimes has this fear of being perceived as [stupid]. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for stupid 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stupid
Adjective
  • Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.
    Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
  • Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.
    Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Adjective
  • Most of this long flashback segment is pretty boring, though.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
  • Toyota and Honda have at times been called boring: Honda by its own engineers, Toyota more famously by a chairman descended from the company’s founder.
    Robert Ferris, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The San Francisco 49ers would be foolish to trade Nick Bosa, but that's exactly what a California politician wants.
    Ryan Morik, Fox News, 30 Oct. 2024
  • The authors concluded that any attempt to create a synthetic substance to replace the mud — something Major League Baseball has explored — would be foolish.
    Evan Bush, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The shutter speed of the 6X zoom is relatively slow in low light conditions, resulting in blurry shots more often than with, say, the Vivo X200 Pro.
    Ben Sin, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Now starts a transitional phase, which is simultaneously slow and fast.
    Camila Domonoske, NPR, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Similarly, listening as a member of a large audience or having to listen for a long time was also tiring.
    Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Working while speaking was more annoying but less tiring than silence and noise.
    Dominique Fluker, Essence, 15 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • In this show, everyone has their distinct personalities — Reneé as Leighton is sassy and dry and Pauline as Kimberly is sweet and a little silly, for example.
    Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Here was this band of rebellious and silly kids in bright clothes rapping their asses off.
    Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • If peace has always been but a simple voluntary choice, the price of human imperfection has been paid in the coin of perpetual war.
    Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
  • Or that a different definition will make a theory simpler.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 18 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The show skips across the decades, dramatizing the interviews an older Dolours (Maxine Peake) did for a Boston College oral history of the Troubles, which were taped with the promise that they would be released only after participants’ deaths.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
  • By contrast, the prospect of citizenships and alliances—and perhaps conquests or crusades—structured around the opinions, beliefs, and subjective identities of ordinary people in times of peace would require a new (or very old) conception of empire.
    Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near stupid

Cite this Entry

“Stupid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stupid. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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