SKIP TO CONTENT

idiocy

/ˈɪdiəsi/
/ˈɪdiəsi/
IPA guide

Other forms: idiocies

Idiocy is extreme stupidity. If you skied down a dangerous slope with little experience and no helmet, your friends would be right to comment on your idiocy.

When someone behaves in a foolish way, showing no evidence that they've thought about their actions, you can call it idiocy. You could scold your little brother, "Your idiocy in the bouncy house made it impossible for anyone else to have fun at the party," or criticize the idiocy of your governor's decision to refuse federal funds for school lunches. The noun idiot came before idiocy, and both words originally had psychiatric meanings that are now obsolete.

Definitions of idiocy
  1. noun
    extreme mental retardation
    synonyms: amentia
    see moresee less
    type of:
    backwardness, mental retardation, retardation, slowness, subnormality
    lack of normal development of intellectual capacities
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘idiocy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family