stupidity

noun

stu̇-ˈpi-də-tē How to pronounce stupidity (audio)
Definition of stupiditynext
1
as in stupidness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind the stupidity of the dialogue between the two romantic leads had movie audiences giggling uncontrollably

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea the succession of stupidities by the company's owners was bound to result in bankruptcy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense leaving her bags unguarded inside the airport terminal was nothing but stupidity on her part

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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 stupidity His eventual dismissal in second-half stoppage time was an exercise in rash stupidity, crashing through Spain’s teenage center back Pau Cubarsi. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Here are the three reasons a good employee sits on a great AI discovery, and none of them is stupidity. — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 The stupidity of losing his car was one thing; the cruelty of forcing her to make that choice was quite another. — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026 Is there a level of insanity, vitriol and stupidity that is infiltrating almost every aspect of our modern society, regardless of your political or religious views? — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for stupidity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stupidity
  1. stupidness
  2. insanity
  3. nonsense
  4. dumbness
  5. idiocy
  6. silliness
  7. thickness
  8. absurdity
Noun
  • In an email to Krebs, Valadon claimed that the repo’s commit logs show that GitHub’s default protections against committing secrets—protections designed to protect unwitting or unskilled developers against exactly this kind of stupidness—had been disabled by the repo’s administrator.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Definition of stupidness
Noun
  • Massachusetts law states that a person committed after a successful insanity defense can be recommitted over and over again, each time for a one-year period.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result is what some people call insanity.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • Statham, who turned 59 this summer and is still in incredible shape, performs on his usual high-octane, no-time-for-nonsense level.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The nonsense began last year as a stunt tied to a cryptocurrency group, but more recently has been linked to groups protesting league policies.
    — Greg Cote August 23, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of nonsense
Noun
  • The first 10 minutes are an incredible swirl of paranoia, alcoholism, and sluggish dumbness when Gould just needs to feed his cat.
    — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
  • Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.
    — Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of dumbness
Noun
  • It’s been a classic staple over decades of British comedy, which from Basil Fawlty to David Brent has rejoiced in puncturing pomposity to reveal idiocy and incompetence.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The school board’s radical idiocy does not negate the state’s obligation to think about the longer haul — specifically, the structurally unbalanced budgets facing Chicago Public Schools as far as the eye can see.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of idiocy
Noun
  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which was directed by Robert Zemeckis with animation overseen by Richard Williams, takes every aspect of itself, even the zany silliness of cartoons, completely seriously, while never losing sight of the fun.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the silliness, the episode does feature some very emotional moments for Spock.
    — Joe Otterson, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of silliness
Noun
  • The minimum safe thickness is a threshold that measures a tank’s ability to contain the pressure of the liquid and support the tank’s weight, the report said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Google trimmed down the thickness of the rear-facing camera bar on the standard Pixel 11 by more than 40%.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of thickness
Noun
  • By using two mediums to highlight the warm absurdity of the fairy-tale tropes, Enchanted cheekily celebrates what only animation can do.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • However, others should not be forced to adhere to absurdity for the sake of feelings.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of absurdity

Browse Nearby Words

stupidities
stupidity
stupidness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stupidity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stupidity. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All