Ignoramus

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Grammarist

Grammarist

An ignoramus is a word for a person without any intelligence, an extremely dumb individual. It is a pejorative term meant to be an insult.

The plural is ignoramuses. Some dictionaries list ignorami as a variation of the plural, but this is a backformation by those who suppose since ignoramus comes from Latin that it would have the Latin –plural. However, in the original Latin, ignoramus was a verb, not a noun, and would still have the -es plural.

Originally it was as an expression of “we don’t know” similar to an eye roll these days.

Examples

If I was an ignoramus I could have just done what he said, but I knew when it was wrong. [BBC]

My favourite was a Université de Montréal prof who reportedly said that Federal Minister Denis Lebel (who proposed the Champlain name change) was either “a historical ignoramus or a Machiavellian genius who wants to divert the real debate about tolls.” [Montreal Gazette]

I’m the ignoramus among half-a- dozen ardent fans of The Lord of the Rings making a pilgrimage to “Edoras”. [The West Australian]

The left insists that those who do not buy into its agenda regarding global warming are “deniers” – ignoramuses who refuse to acknowledge facts thanks to a political agenda. [Breitbart News]

Instead of touting increased employment, healthcare for millions and a huge uptick in the stock market under Obama, Democrats shunned the president and let ignoramuses like McConnell (Republican Senator) and Fox News commentators (pro-Republican) frame the discussion. [Malaysian Insider]