INDEX:
not sensible
1. stupid behaviour, actions, ideas etc
2. very stupid
3. stupid and childish
4. a stupid person
not intelligent
5. not intelligent
6. someone who is not intelligent
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ SENSIBLE
see also
↑ CRAZY
↑ RISK
◆◆◆
1. stupid behaviour, actions, ideas etc
▷ stupid /ˈstjuːpɪd, ˈstjuːpədǁˈstuː-/ [adjective]
someone who is stupid or does stupid things does things that are not at all sensible and may have bad results :
▪ You stupid boy! I’ve told you not to play with matches!
▪ Withdraw the police from the area? I’ve never heard such a stupid idea!
▪ Well, if you’re stupid enough to skate on the lake, you deserve to fall in.
▪ Don’t you call me a stupid idiot!
stupid to do something
▪ You’d have to be stupid not to take advantage of a great offer like this!
do something stupid
▪ I was very drunk last night -- I hope I didn’t do anything stupid.
it is stupid (of somebody) to do something
▪ It was stupid of me to believe her of course, but I did.
a stupid thing to say/do
▪ That was a stupid thing to say.
▪ I didn’t say you were stupid, I said it was a stupid thing to do.
stupidly [adverb]
▪ Stupidly, I agreed to lend him some money.
▪ I’m sorry I reacted so stupidly.
▷ dumb /dʌm/ [adjective] especially American, spoken
stupid :
▪ She’s always asking such dumb questions.
▪ She told him Jeff was just a friend, and he was dumb enough to believe her.
▪ Oh, I just did the dumbest thing back there, I forgot my briefcase.
▷ silly /ˈsɪli/ [adjective]
someone who is silly or who says silly things does or says things that are not sensible or serious, and that may make them feel embarrassed later :
▪ Now don’t be silly, get up off the floor.
▪ You’ve made a lot of silly mistakes in this essay.
▪ I have a question which might sound a bit silly.
it is silly to do something
▪ I think you’re silly to worry so much about your hair.
it is silly of somebody
▪ That was silly of me -- I just locked the trunk and the keys are inside.
silly little
▪ You’re just a silly little boy.
a silly thing to do/say
▪ I had locked myself out, which was a silly thing to do.
▷ daft /dɑːftǁdæft/ [adjective] British informal
stupid in what you do or say, but often in a way that is also amusing :
▪ Is this another of your daft ideas?
▪ Don’t be daft! Of course you’re not too old to go clubbing.
▪ Well, what’s the daftest thing you’ve ever done at work?
daft thing to do/say
▪ What a daft thing to say!
daft as a brush
used to say that someone is very daft
▪ She’s as daft as a brush, honestly she is.
▷ foolish /ˈfuːlɪʃ/ [adjective] formal
stupid and not thinking sensibly about the possible results of what you do :
▪ Jan realised later that her behaviour had been very foolish.
▪ I think the board of directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.
it is foolish (of somebody) to do something
▪ It was a warning she would have been foolish to ignore.
foolishly [adverb]
▪ I had just $7 left, and foolishly squandered $5 in the bar that night.
▷ ill-advised /ˌɪl ədˈvaɪzd◂/ [adjective] formal
an action or plan that is ill-advised is stupid because it will probably cause problems in the future or be unsuccessful :
▪ In an ill-advised effort to improve matters, they sent him to boarding school.
▪ The bank claims that the company’s losses are the result of an ill-advised decision to declare bankruptcy.
▷ unwise /ʌnˈwaɪz/ [adjective]
done without thinking carefully enough about the possible disadvantages that may result :
▪ She knew the marriage was unwise, but she wanted a husband and a family.
▪ A Defence Department spokesman described the comments as ‘extraordinarily unwise’.
▪ His appointment as chief executive proved to be a very unwise decision.
▪ It’s unwise to travel alone in certain parts of the city, so always take a cab.
unwisely [adverb]
▪ Perhaps unwisely, the President apologised for the tax raise.
▷ irrational /ɪˈræʃ ə nəl/ [adjective]
irrational actions, feelings, or beliefs are not based on clear thinking or sensible reasons, so they are strange or hard to understand :
▪ If Dane drinks even a couple of beers, he becomes irrational and even violent.
▪ Jane’s irrational hopes began to rise as she listened to him.
irrational fear of/about something
▪ an irrational fear of flying
irrationally [adverb]
▪ The man was causing a disturbance and acting irrationally.
2. very stupid
▷ crazy /ˈkreɪzi/ [adjective]
not at all sensible or reasonable, especially in an annoying or shocking way :
▪ I said I enjoyed doing exams, and she looked at me as if I was crazy!
▪ Ian’s got some crazy plan to drive all the way across Africa.
▪ The farmers can make more money by not planting crops - it’s crazy, isn’t it?
▪ You’re crazy to think of hitch-hiking on your own.
▷ ridiculous/absurd /rɪˈdɪkjɑləs, əbˈsɜːʳd/ [adjective]
something that is ridiculous or absurd is so stupid that you can hardly believe that it has been done, said etc :
▪ I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous! Of course I haven’t been trying to avoid you!
▪ an absurd suggestion
▪ This is ridiculous. You’ve only known him three days, and you’re going on holiday with him!
▪ It’s absurd to think Porter flew into a murderous rage just because he had an argument with his girlfriend.
patently ridiculous/absurd
used to emphasize that something is very ridiculous indeed
▪ This patently absurd argument is often used by anti-gay groups.
▷ ludicrous /ˈluːdɪkrəs, ˈluːdəkrəs/ [adjective]
completely unreasonable or unsuitable :
▪ The telephone lines are only open during office hours, which is ludicrous in this day and age.
▪ She wears short skirts and dyes her hair pink, which looks ludicrous on a woman her age.
▷ laughable /ˈlɑːfəb ə lǁˈlæf-/ [adjective]
so stupid and unbelievable that it makes you want to laugh :
▪ The government’s attempt to privatize the prison service has been simply laughable.
▪ It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious.
▷ idiotic /ˌɪdiˈɒtɪk◂ǁ-ˈɑːtɪk◂/ [adjective]
very stupid and likely to involve unnecessary risks and dangers :
▪ Wyatt was nearly killed as a result of that idiotic stunt.
▪ If that wasn’t idiotic enough, the company went on to sack fifty percent of its skilled workers, replacing them with untrained apprentices.
▷ hare-brained /ˈheəʳ breɪnd/ [adjective usually before noun]
hare-brained scheme/plan etc
a plan that is very stupid and cannot possibly be successful :
▪ Alice had to figure out how to pay the rent after Ralph spent the money on another of his hare-brained schemes.
▷ inane /ɪˈneɪn/ [adjective]
inane remark/comment/conversation etc
stupid and completely meaningless :
▪ Penny began an inane conversation about the book she was reading to fill the silence.
▪ Bad acting, weak script and inane dialogue -- this movie is truly awful.
3. stupid and childish
▷ childish /ˈtʃaɪldɪʃ/ [adjective]
someone who is childish annoys you by being unreasonable and unhelpful, or by complaining and being rude, as if they were a small child :
▪ He said he wouldn’t go out with us if Jerry was going too - he’s so childish!
▪ You know how childish he can be.
▪ I’d like you to explain your childish behaviour.
childishly [adverb]
▪ We both agreed we’d behaved childishly, and buried the hatchet by going to lunch together.
▷ immature /ˌɪməˈtʃʊəʳǁ-ˈtʊər/ [adjective]
someone who is immature behaves as if they were younger than they really are, so they are not as sensible or responsible as you expect them to be :
▪ We were silly, immature teenagers, and we didn’t know any better.
▪ I was 19 when I went to college, but still very immature.
▪ These kids are brilliant, but often socially immature.
▷ juvenile /ˈdʒuːvənaɪlǁ-n ə l, -naɪl/ [adjective]
someone who is juvenile, especially a young adult, behaves in a very silly way like a child, when they should be more sensible :
▪ Some of the boys tried to involve me in their juvenile pranks, but I wasn’t interested.
▪ You wouldn’t think that college students could be so juvenile.
4. a stupid person
▷ idiot/fool /ˈɪdiət, fuːl/ [countable noun]
someone who does something very stupid or embarrassing :
▪ You lost the tickets? How could you be such an idiot?
▪ Anyone who tells you any different is either a fool or a liar.
▪ Some idiot in a fast car is trying to overtake.
▪ If you believe that, you’re a bigger fool than I thought.
▪ She was an idiot to drink so much on an empty stomach.
make a fool of yourself
do something that makes you seem very stupid
▪ It’s increasingly common for the losers to go out kicking and screaming, and generally making fools of themselves.
▷ wally /ˈwɒliǁˈwɑː-/ [countable noun] British informal
someone who behaves in a stupid and annoying way :
▪ Look at those wallies jumping around and pulling faces behind the TV reporter.
▪ You look like a right wally in that hat.
▷ jerk /dʒɜːʳk/ [countable noun] especially American
someone who is a little stupid and annoying, and who does not care if they upset or hurt other people :
▪ Some jerk just drove right into the back of my car.
▪ I liked the job, but the manager was a jerk.
▪ Ow! You jerk, that hurt!
total/real jerk
▪ She seems to always end up in a relationship with some total jerk.
▷ goof/goof ball /guːf, ˈguːf bɔːl/ [countable noun] American informal
someone who is stupid and embarrassing :
▪ He’s such a goof. I don’t know what she sees in him.
▪ He always acts like a real goof after a couple of glasses of wine.
▪ Oh Mike’s okay, he’s just a bit of a goof ball.
▷ dope /dəʊp/ [countable noun] American informal
someone who is stupid and does not think about what they say or do :
▪ I’m sorry I was such a dope last night.
▪ Oh you dope, you bought the wrong one.
▷ dork /dɔːʳk/ [countable noun] especially American, informal
someone who you think is stupid and strange because they behave strangely or wear strange clothes :
▪ I look like a real dork in this uniform.
▪ Millions of listeners heard him call his production assistant a ‘dork’ live on air.
5. not intelligent
▷ not very bright/intelligent/clever/smart also not too bright/intelligent/clever/smart /ˌnɒt veri ˈbraɪt, ɪnˈtelə̇dʒ ə nt, ˈklevəʳ, ˈsmɑːʳt, ˌnɒt tuː ˈbraɪt, ɪnˈtelə̇dʒ ə nt, ˈklevəʳ, ˈsmɑːʳt/ [adjective]
someone who is not very bright/intelligent/clever/smart is unable to learn and understand things quickly and easily :
▪ Sometimes I think Sheila just isn’t very bright.
▪ Saja may be handsome, but he’s not too smart.
▪ Franco works hard but he isn’t really very intelligent.
▪ He treated me like a young and not very clever child.
▷ stupid /ˈstjuːpɪd, ˈstjuːpədǁˈstuː-/ [adjective]
not at all intelligent :
▪ She talks to us as if we’re completely stupid.
▪ Poor Larry’s too stupid to realize when you’re making fun of him.
▪ It’s only stupid people who believe in all that astrology mumbo-jumbo.
▷ dumb /dʌm/ [adjective] especially American, spoken
not at all intelligent :
▪ The athletic guys were seen as ‘cute but dumb’.
▪ You’re so dumb, Clarissa!
▪ If we look dumb enough, someone’s bound to come and help us out.
▷ thick /θɪk/ [adjective] British informal
not at all intelligent :
▪ He’s a nice boy, but he’s a bit thick, isn’t he?
▪ Not wishing to appear thick, but what exactly are you doing?
as thick as two short planks
very stupid
▪ Some of the students they let in these days are as thick as two short planks.
▷ dim /dɪm/ [adjective] informal
unintelligent and very slow to learn :
▪ She’s not the brightest kid in the class -- in fact, she’s quite dim.
▪ I’m playing a guy who’s well-meaning but kind of dim.
▷ brainless /ˈbreɪnləs/ [adjective] informal
completely stupid :
▪ My sister’s latest boyfriend is pretty brainless; it’s impossible to have a conversation with him.
▪ ‘You brainless scum!’ he shouted after the departing boys.
▷ gormless /ˈgɔːʳmləs/ [adjective] British informal
very stupid - use this especially to describe someone who looks stupid or who never has their own ideas :
▪ He just sat there with his mouth open looking really gormless.
▪ a grinning, gormless boy
▷ unintelligent /ˌʌnɪnˈtelɪdʒ ə nt◂, ˌʌnɪnˈtelədʒ ə nt◂/ [adjective] formal
not as intelligent as most people :
▪ It would be a mistake to assume that all football players are unintelligent.
▪ He may not be as bright as his sister, but he’s far from unintelligent.
6. someone who is not intelligent
▷ idiot /ˈɪdiət/ [countable noun]
▪ Whenever I phone the bank I get through to some idiot who sounds about twelve years old.
▪ Stop treating me like an idiot -- I can count you know!
▷ bimbo /ˈbɪmbəʊ/ [countable noun] informal
a young woman who is attractive but not very intelligent, especially one who spends time with rich and famous people :
▪ Backstage, Paul was surrounded by bimbos in short skirts just waiting for him to notice them.
▪ She plays an apparent bimbo who manages to outwit her boss.
▷ airhead /ˈeəʳhed/ [countable noun] informal
a very stupid person :
▪ He treats his women staff as if they’re all airheads.
▪ Then some overpaid TV airhead starts telling us how wonderful her producer is.
▷ moron /ˈmɔːrɒnǁ-rɑːn/ [countable noun]
an offensive word meaning a very stupid person :
▪ What do you think I am, a complete moron?
▪ Most media companies assume members of the general public are morons.
moronic /məˈrɒnɪkǁ-ˈrɑː-/ [adjective]
▪ There was one member of the newsgroup who kept emailing me with moronic questions.