Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Slow to learn or understand; obtuse.
  • adjective Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes.
  • adjective Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.
  • adjective Dazed, stunned, or stupefied.
  • adjective Used to express disparagement or exasperation.
  • noun A stupid or foolish person.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a state of stupor; having the faculties deadened or dulled; stupefied, either permanently or temporarily; benumbed.
  • Lacking ordinary activity of mind; dull in ideas or expression; slow-witted; obtuse; crass.
  • Characterized by mental dullness or inanity; witless; senseless; foolish; inane: as, a stupid joke; a stupid book; stupid fears.
  • Synonyms Heavy, dull, drowsy, lethargic, comatose, torpid.
  • Muddy-brained, muddled.
  • Silly, Foolish, etc. (see absurd); flat, tame, humdrum, pointless, prosaic. See list under foolish.
  • noun A stupid or humdrum person; a blockhead; a dunce.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Very dull; insensible; senseless; wanting in understanding; heavy; sluggish; in a state of stupor; -- said of persons.
  • adjective Resulting from, or evincing, stupidity; formed without skill or genius; dull; heavy; -- said of things.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Lacking in intelligence or exhibiting the quality of having been done by someone lacking in intelligence.
  • adjective To the point of stupor.
  • adjective archaic Characterized by or in a state of stupor; paralysed.
  • adjective archaic Lacking sensation; inanimate; destitute of consciousness; insensate.
  • adjective slang Amazing.
  • adjective profane damn, annoying, darn
  • adverb slang, dated Extremely.
  • noun A stupid person; a fool.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
  • adjective lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
  • adjective lacking intelligence
  • noun a person who is not very bright

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin stupidus, from stupēre, to be stunned.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French stupide, from Latin stupidus ("struck senseless, amazed"), from stupeō ("be amazed or confounded, be struck senseless").

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Examples

  • Oh, Harvey, stupid, _stupid_ -- the video monitors on the deck -- Ben must have given her a gun, _knowing_ she would someday use it --

    Asimov's Science Fiction 2004

  • I personally * hate hate hate* when I feel like doing stuff that I know is * stupid stupid stupid*.

    misspinkkate Diary Entry misspinkkate 2003

  • And you don’t see that much difference between men’s and women’s uniforms in fencing where it would be stupid, *stupid* to leave the body unprotected or the rest of martial arts that don’t hinge on gripping the opponent’s clothes like karate or taekwondo.

    THE SEXUALIZATION OF FEMALE OLYMPIADS » Sociological Images 2008

  • Heh…rachel’s comments were so stupid, they infected me and made me misspell ’stupid’.

    Think Progress » Bush: I’m Sending More Troops To Iraq No Matter What Congress Does 2007

  • Being stupid doesn’t mean you deserve to have bad things happen to you, yet often people have no compassion for someone if they can just call that person ’stupid’.

    Libertarian Follies 2006

  • NONE of these fascist dictators have ever put on a uniform. for them to sit and say it was a blow to the military shows how stupid they really are. why would anyone expect ’stupid’ to understand what hekerry was saying. if anyone owes an apology it is this criminal, hypocritical nazi admin. for invading, occupying and murdering thousands of innocent people for their own self interests. and all in the name of OIL.

    Think Progress » Kerry Says ‘I’m Sorry’ on MSNBC, Snow Still Claiming He Hasn’t Apologized 2006

  • He has suspensions … I use the term stupid because a lot of suspensions are … every now and then you have to do something stupid to create some space for yourself for other players to be a little hesitant when they come around you.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed BRUCE DOWBIGGIN 2012

  • He has suspensions … I use the term stupid because a lot of suspensions are … every now and then you have to do something stupid to create some space for yourself for other players to be a little hesitant when they come around you.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed BRUCE DOWBIGGIN 2012

  • The term stupid simply meant "think" in the context of you actual remarks, and was aimed at the reader not you.

    Tennessee Jew-Baiter Loses Primary In Landslide 2009

  • Nevertheless, since God decided to give humans “free will,” He has been nothing but surprised by the unseemly and His Word stupid way people have used this license to veer from divine sensibilities.

    What Would Betty Do? Paul A. Bradley 2002

Comments

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  • The next day, at the usual hour, Marius took from his closet his new coat, new pantaloons, his new hat, and his new boots; he dressed himself in panoply complete, put on his gloves, prodigious prodigality, and went to the Luxembourg.

    On the way, he met Courfeyrac, and pretended not to see him. Courfeyrac, on his return home, said to his friends: "I have just met Marius' new hat and coat, with Marius inside. Probably he was going to an examination. He looked stupid enough."

    -Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

    January 3, 2010