idiocy
nounUS [ˈɪɾiəsi] · /ˈɪdiəsi/
Etymology From French idiotie, from Old French idiot. Displaced earlier idiotacy, idiotry. Equivalent to idiot + -cy. By surface analysis, idio- + -cy.
1
Human sciences, Psychology, Sciences Dated, Derogatory The state or condition of being an idiot; the quality of having an intelligence level far below average.
2
Lack of intelligence or sense; extremely foolish behaviour.
- The administrators, growing tired of such idiocy, put a new policy in place.
3
An idiotic act or utterance.
- The list of his idiocies is seemingly interminable.
- “Well, Atticus, I was just sayin‘ to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad an’ all that, but you said not to worry, it takes a long time sometimes… that you all’d ride it out together…” I was slowly drying up, wondering what idiocy I had committed.1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
- Synonyms
- idiocity, idiotacy, idiotcy, idiotery, idioticalness, idioticity, idioticness, idioticy, idiotism, idiotness, idiotry
- Derived terms
- artificial idiocy, covidiocy, Mongolian idiocy
- Related terms
- idiocracy, idiot, idiotic, idiotically