idiotise
Definition
- Verb:
- To make foolish or stupid: "idiotise" means to cause someone to become foolish, stupid, or mentally dull. It is a transitive verb, typically used in a figurative sense to describe the act of reducing someone's intelligence or judgment through influence or circumstances.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- The constant exposure to mindless entertainment will idiotise the younger generation. (It will make them foolish or stupid over time.)
- The propaganda was designed to idiotise the public into accepting falsehoods. (It was intended to make people stupid or unquestioning.)
Advanced Usage
"to idiotise oneself": to voluntarily become foolish or stupid through one's own actions.
- By refusing to read or learn, he idiotised himself for years. (He made himself mentally dull.)
"to be idiotised by something": to be made foolish by a specific influence.
- The workers were idiotised by the repetitive tasks in the factory. (Their minds were dulled by the monotony.)
Variants and Related Words
Idiot (n): a foolish or stupid person.
- He acted like an idiot by ignoring the warnings. (A person lacking intelligence.)
Idiotic (adj): extremely foolish or stupid.
- That was an idiotic decision. (A very foolish choice.)
Idiotically (adv): in a foolish or stupid manner.
- She behaved idiotically at the party. (She acted very foolishly.)
Synonyms
- Dull: to make less intelligent or sharp.
- Stupefy: to make someone unable to think clearly.
- Befool: to make a fool of; to deceive into stupidity.
Related Idioms
To play the idiot: to pretend to be stupid.
- He played the idiot to avoid answering questions. (He pretended to be foolish.)
To make an idiot of oneself: to behave in a way that makes one look foolish.
- She made an idiot of herself by shouting at the waiter. (She acted foolishly and embarrassed herself.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Idiotise out: (rare) to exhaust someone's mental capacity.
- The long lecture idiotised out the students. (It made them mentally dull from boredom.)