Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A silly, foolish, or stupid person.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A fool; a blockhead; a simpleton.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Law A fool; a silly or stupid person.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
silly orfoolish person.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a stupid foolish person
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word nincompoop.
Examples
-
And given ZANU Labour's tendency to reward disgraced Ministers with a fresh chance or three to lord it over us, we could be forgiven for thinking it won't be long before this nincompoop is ordering our lives for us once more.
Archive 2009-01-18 2009
-
And given ZANU Labour's tendency to reward disgraced Ministers with a fresh chance or three to lord it over us, we could be forgiven for thinking it won't be long before this nincompoop is ordering our lives for us once more.
-
Tulliver most justly sets down as a "nincompoop" -- is almost sillier than
Famous Reviews R. Brimley Johnson 1899
-
Hill was famed for his short fuse on the newsroom floor, and reserved his most withering insult - "nincompoop" - for those he felt had performed particularly poorly.
The Guardian World News Tara Conlan 2011
-
'nincompoop' -- that's only his coarse Scotch breeding; and I believe
Villette Charlotte Bront�� 1835
-
As each day brings yet another piece of evidence to demonstrate their incompetence, people sit there open-mouthed that they have the effrontery to claim they are ‘dealing’ with whatever the latest foul-up is, that yet another ‘review’ is to take place (everyone now understands that to mean ‘kick into the long grass’), that lessons will be learnt and that such and such a nincompoop is a fit and proper person to clear up the mess he or she has created.
-
As each day brings yet another piece of evidence to demonstrate their incompetence, people sit there open-mouthed that they have the effrontery to claim they are ‘dealing’ with whatever the latest foul-up is, that yet another ‘review’ is to take place (everyone now understands that to mean ‘kick into the long grass’), that lessons will be learnt and that such and such a nincompoop is a fit and proper person to clear up the mess he or she has created.
Archive 2007-11-18 2007
-
When did you last hear a politician – or anyone, for that matter – say "nincompoop"?
-
Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan called Palin a "nincompoop" last month for her downplaying of the Gipper's political legacy.
Ed Rollins To Sarah Palin: 'You're No Reagan' The Huffington Post News Team 2010
-
Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan called Palin a "nincompoop" last month for her downplaying of the Gipper's political legacy.
Ed Rollins To Sarah Palin: 'You're No Reagan' The Huffington Post News Team 2010
carolinacc commented on the word nincompoop
This word seems like an exaggeration of verbosity just to indicate someone is a fool. Also, since it it rather complicated to articulate, the sayer risks the chance of making a fool of herself.
August 8, 2008
pstone commented on the word nincompoop
Dates back to at least the 17th century, probably from thieves' cant "nickum-poop."
October 5, 2008
tbtabby commented on the word nincompoop
Lesser known words with similar connotations: liripoop, clinchpoop and twiddlepoop. Perhaps they come from the same root?
October 8, 2008
drissel commented on the word nincompoop
?from "non compus mentis"
July 18, 2009
timonti commented on the word nincompoop
@drissel: correction its "non compos mentis" compos mentis meaning control of one's mind.
December 5, 2011