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Definition of idiot noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

idiot

noun
 
/ˈɪdiət/
 
/ˈɪdiət/
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  1. (informal) a rude way to refer to somebody who you think is very stupid synonym fool
    • When I lost my passport, I felt such an idiot.
    • What idiot pressed the switch?
    see also village idiot
    Extra Examples
    • She was grinning like an absolute idiot.
    • He's made a complete idiot of himself over this woman!
    • I felt like a complete idiot, standing there in front of all those people!
    • She called me an idiot.
    • He knew he was acting like an idiot.
    • What stupid idiot left their shoes on the stairs?
    • I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth open.
    • I realized I was dealing with a bunch of idiots.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • babbling
    • big
    • blithering
    verb + idiot
    • be
    • feel
    • feel like
    phrases
    • make an idiot of yourself
    See full entry
  2. (old-fashioned, offensive) a word for a person with very low intelligence that is now considered offensive
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • babbling
    • big
    • blithering
    verb + idiot
    • be
    • feel
    • feel like
    phrases
    • make an idiot of yourself
    See full entry
  3. Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a person of low intelligence): via Old French from Latin idiota ‘ignorant person’, from Greek idiōtēs ‘private person, layman, ignorant person’, from idios ‘own, private’.
See idiot in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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