Word
idiot
Phoneticsid·iot
US/ˈɪˌdiət/
UK/ˈɪdɪət/
Definition
n. a person who does something very stupid or makes a bad decision.
n. a person who acts in a foolish or reckless manner. While common in casual speech, it remains an insult and can be offensive depending on the context.
Examples
“I felt like an idiot when I forgot my keys.”
“He was acting like a complete idiot at the party, shouting and knocking over drinks.”
“The protagonist is often portrayed as a lovable idiot whose lack of common sense is balanced by a heart of gold and an uncanny ability to stumble into success.”
Examples
simple
“I felt like an idiot when I forgot my keys.”
contextual
“He was acting like a complete idiot at the party, shouting and knocking over drinks.”
complex
“The protagonist is often portrayed as a lovable idiot whose lack of common sense is balanced by a heart of gold and an uncanny ability to stumble into success.”
Usage
Often used with the adjective 'complete', 'total', or 'absolute' for emphasis.
Teaching tip
Learners should be aware that while friends might use this jokingly with each other, it is a genuine insult when directed at a stranger or used in a professional setting.
Real-World Examples
“The second is that she was competing in the age of social media, allowing every idiot with a phone to mock her performance in real time.” “Is he a scam artist juicing idiots for cash?” Etymology
From Middle English idiote, ydiote, from Old French idiote (later idiot), from Latin idiota, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “a private citizen, one who has no professional knowledge, layman”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one's own, pertaining to oneself, private”). Doublet of idiota. By surface analysis, idi- + -ot.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word family
Related words
Idioms
idiot box — Television.
idiot mittens — Mittens connected by yarn or string (idiot string (Canadian English)) running through one sleeve, along the back and out at the other sleeve of a coat, to prevent the mittens becoming lost. Generally worn by small children.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/idiot