nincompoop n : a stupid foolish person [syn: poop, ninny]

Nincompoop \Nin"com*poop\, n. [A corruption of non compos.] A fool; a silly or stupid person. [Law] An old ninnyhammer, a dotard, a nincompoop, is the best language she can afford me. --Addison.

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An idiot, dolt, or dullard is a mentally deficient person, or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way. More humorous synonyms of the term include addlehead, blockhead, bonehead, deadhead, dimwit, dodo, dope, dummy, dunderhead, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, numbskull, stupidhead, thickhead, and twit, among many others. Archaically the word mome has also been used. The synonymous terms moron, imbecile, and cretin have all gained specialized meanings in modern times. An idiot is said to be idiotic, and to suffer from idiocy. A dunce is an idiot who is specifically incapable of learning. An idiot differs from a fool (who is unwise) and an ignoramus (who is uneducated/ an ignorant), neither of which refer to someone with low intelligence.

"Idiot" originally referred to "layman, person lacking professional skill", "person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning". Declining to take part in public life, such as democratic government of the polis (city state), such as the Athenian democracy, was considered dishonorable. "Idiots" were seen as having bad judgment in public and political matters. Over time, the term "idiot" shifted away from its original connotation of selfishness and came to refer to individuals with overall bad judgment–individuals who are "stupid". In modern English usage, the terms "idiot" and "idiocy" describe an extreme folly or stupidity, and its symptoms (foolish or stupid utterance or deed). In psychology, it is a historical term for the state or condition now called profound mental retardation.

• Rep. Gohmert Wins Nincompoop Roundup
  His recent musing about al-Qaeda operatives "acting Hispanic" to cross the U.S.-Mexican border landed him at the top of the heap. My state of Texas seems to have an inordinate share of nincompoops in public office. Read more on this news related to 'Nincompoop'
• Highly Intoxicated 'Nincompoop' Faces Off With Fire Truck in the Upper Haight
  If you don't subscribe to the SFPD Park Station newsletter, you probably should. [ more › ] Read more on this news related to 'Nincompoop'
• 'Nincompoop' stands in way of emergency responders
  Apparently this buffoon thought giving firefighters the middle finger was the real emergency. A man reportedly blocked the path of a fire engine at Haight and Stanyan streets last weekend, delaying emergency personnel who had been responding to a medical call for an "intoxicated and semi-conscious" 16-year-old girl. The incident occurred at about 2:25 p. Read more on this news related to 'Nincompoop'