# Do British people have the most words for “stupid”?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 9, 2025, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704 "2025-11-09T06:08:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Shitrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shitrisk)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/1 "2025-11-09T06:08:24Z")
But then they just have one word for smart. “Brilliant”. Like it’s just a matter of candlepower.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/2 "2025-11-09T07:13:25Z")
> [@Shitrisk](#):
>
> But then they just have one word for smart. “Brilliant”.
Completely incorrect. They also use “clever,” “bright,” “sharp,” “keen,” and many other words, which Americans use, too.
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### Author:  [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/3 "2025-11-09T10:35:43Z")
Also: brainiac, boffin, genius, whiz, egghead, wisenheimer, geek, wizard, smart cookie, malapert, smartie pants, witling, smart arse and know-it-all as a sample with contextual variations between complimentary and sarcastic.
Or you could go all archaic and afternoonified and suggest the OP is a sandwich short of a cut lunch.
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### Author:  [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/4 "2025-11-09T14:24:43Z")
‘Smart ‘ means something different here.
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/6 "2025-11-09T18:35:21Z")
While I am not intimately familiar with colloquial British English, my understanding is that “brilliant” meaning “smart” is more of an American usage. I thought that in British English, “brilliant” usually has a more general meaning of amazing, wonderful, etc.
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### Author:  [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/7 "2025-11-09T19:28:54Z")
Here’s a quote from “A Blog from Cambridge Dictionary”:
\*The word ‘intelligent’ is often emphasized with the adverb **[highly](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/highly)**. **[Brilliant](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/brilliant)** is another emphatic way of describing a very intelligent person. \*
(Source: [Words for describing intelligent people - About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog](https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/))
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/9 "2025-11-09T21:32:32Z")
I like Canny, which is a Scottish word that I think means street smart, or clever in a tricky way. I guess it might be related to cunning.
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### Author:  [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/10 "2025-11-09T23:13:10Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> I like Canny
Good one. Thank you. Not sure why I missed it.
Also would seem to be almost exclusively complimentary.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/11 "2025-11-09T23:31:28Z")
So what does that make the X-Men?
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/12 "2025-11-09T23:35:09Z")
I do think Uncanny comes from Canny. I probably should look it up to be certain.
>
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2025, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/14 "2025-11-10T05:38:00Z")
_“Pants!”_
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### Author:  [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/17 "2025-11-10T21:17:49Z")
When I was learning Japanese I was pretty impressed with how many words they have for stupid.
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### Author:  [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2025, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-have-the-most-words-for-stupid/1024704/18 "2025-11-13T08:40:42Z")
British English has way more creative swear words and phrases than American English, that’s for sure.