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idiota

(pejorative, slang, US) Fool or imbecile.

aɪˈditəCurrent179 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
1 definition
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Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

#1·Apr 27, 2026

(pejorative, slang, US) Fool or imbecile.

Origin: Borrowed from , from , from from private. .. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"idiota" means: Fool or imbecile.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"idiota" means: Fool or imbecile.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

Heard in the wild
  • “Pasate a la izquierda, pero no mucho. *rie como idiota pensando que fue el mejor chiste de la vida*”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Comprei um e essa rodinha do scroll não durou 4 meses só com uso normal. Colocar ele como clique pra selecionar as coisas foi uma ideia muito idiota. Já troquei, mas estou com um outro que já vi que também vai dar o mesmo problema.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Las burbujas de actividad son lo más idiota que ha inventado ig. Están moviéndose y molestando y ahora encima no las puedes apartar. Anda y que os zurzan”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Un concejal de Vox en Elche llama «idiota» a la portavoz de Compromís https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/espana/2026/05/05/concejal-vox-elche-llama-idiota-portavoz-compromis/00031777996658859792511.htm”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “U stvari, kad globalno gledamo, svijet se uvijek kreće u određenom smjeru, a mi smo samo dio toga. Sada je očito doba ovih trumpovskih idiota posvuda i valja to preživjeti ...”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers

"idiota" means: Fool or imbecile.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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🗺️About Regional & Other slang

Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.

See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.

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