Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| глу́пый | glúpyj |
| дурно́й | durnój |
| тупо́й | tupój |
| неу́мный | neúmnyj |
| тупоу́мный | tupoúmnyj |
These terms are used to describe a lack of intelligence or common sense. While adjectives like глу́пый or неу́мный describe a person or action, you can also use the informal nouns дура́к (masculine) or ду́ра (feminine) to call someone a 'fool' or an 'idiot'.
Which one should you use?
Глу́пый is the standard, neutral adjective for 'stupid' or 'foolish' and is less offensive than slang terms. Неу́мный literally means 'unwise' and is a slightly more formal or descriptive way to say someone lacks judgment. Тупо́й is often used colloquially to mean 'stupid' or 'dim-witted', but its literal meaning is 'blunt' (as in a dull knife). Дурно́й is an older or more literary term that can imply being 'bad' or 'unwell' rather than just lacking intelligence.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun form for 'stupidity' is derived from the adjective глу́пый as глу́пость.
How do you pronounce it?
glúpyj
Did you know?
- Russian folklore features the Ивану́шка-дура́к (Ivan the Fool), a recurring archetype who succeeds through luck or kindness despite being called 'stupid' by his brothers.
- The word глу́пый shares a linguistic root with the concept of being 'deep' or 'obscure' in some ancient Slavic contexts, though today it only refers to lack of sense.
- In Russian, the word for 'fool' or 'idiot', дура́к, can sometimes be used affectionately between very close friends, similar to how 'idiot' is used in English.
Examples in context
- Это глупое решение.This is a stupid decision.
- Он такой тупой иногда.He can be so stupid sometimes.
- Это была дурацкая ситуация!That was a stupid situation!
- Не слушай его, он бестолковый.Don't listen to him, he's stupid.
- Это был глу́пый поступок.Eto byl glupyy postupok.That was a stupid act.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stupid” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
