stupidity

stupidity — noun

1. the quality of being very silly or unwise, shown by actions or decisions that ar

1.nounB1
Definition

the quality of being very silly or unwise, shown by actions or decisions that are made without thought or good judgment

Example

Walking alone through that old neighbourhood after midnight was an act of pure stupidity.

act of pure stupidity

Aarav could not believe the stupidity of skipping the factory safety checks before the visit.

the stupidity of + gerund

Common collocations
  • sheer stupidity
  • pure stupidity
  • utter stupidity
  • act of stupidity
Synonyms
  • foolishness

    softer; implies unwise choice rather than lack of intelligence

  • folly

    more formal; emphasises the dangerous or costly nature of the act

  • idiocy

    stronger and harsher; suggests a complete inability to think

Antonyms
  • wisdom

    opposite quality of good judgment and intelligence

  • cleverness

    focuses on quick mental ability rather than judgment

Grammar Patterns

the stupidity of + noun phrase

sheer / pure / utter + stupidity

act of stupidity

Usage Note

Usually uncountable — do not use with a or an to describe the general quality. Frequently paired with intensifiers such as sheer, pure, or utter.

Common Mistakes

He showed a stupidity by leaving the door open.
He showed stupidity by leaving the door open.
Use without a/an for the uncountable quality.

2. a particular action, remark, or decision that is very silly or shows a lack of g

2.nounB1
Definition

a particular action, remark, or decision that is very silly or shows a lack of good judgment

Example

Dewi laughed about her own stupidities when she first started learning to cook.

possessive + own stupidities (plural)

That report from Rodrigo was full of basic stupidities a first-year student would not make.

basic stupidities

Common collocations
  • commit a stupidity
  • basic stupidities
  • list the stupidities
Synonyms
  • blunder

    emphasises a careless or embarrassing mistake

  • foolish act

    a mild, everyday phrase instead of a single noun

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

commit + a stupidity

basic stupidities

list the stupidities

Usage Note

Countable — can be used with a/an and in the plural (stupidities). The plural form is less common in everyday speech but appears in formal or critical writing.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Stupidity, foolishness, folly, idiocy, and ignorance all relate to poor judgment or a lack of understanding, but each carries a different shade of meaning. Stupidity suggests an inherent lack of intelligence or reasoning ability — someone who repeatedly makes the same poor choice despite clear evidence. Foolishness implies a lack of wisdom or prudence in a particular situation; even intelligent people can act foolishly when emotions run high. Folly is more formal and emphasises the dangerous or costly nature of an unwise action. Idiocy is the strongest term, suggesting a complete inability to think or understand, and can sound insulting. Ignorance, by contrast, refers only to a lack of knowledge or information, not to mental ability. For example, forgetting an umbrella on a rainy day is foolishness; investing life savings in a known scam is stupidity; building a house on a flood plain is folly; thinking the Earth is flat despite satellite images is idiocy; not knowing the capital of Canada is ignorance.

foolishness ↗folly ↗idiocyignorance ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • height of stupidity
  • depths of stupidity
  • act of stupidity

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the sheer stupidity of
  • an act of pure stupidity
  • a new level of stupidity

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Stupidity comes from Latin stupiditās, meaning 'dullness' or 'senselessness,' which was formed from stupidus ('struck senseless, amazed, stupid'). The root verb stupere means 'to be stunned or dazed.' The word entered English in the 1500s through Middle French stupidité.