Word.ws English Dictionary

stupid is as stupid does

stupid is as stupid does proverb: stupid behaviour indicates stupidity.

Proverb

stupid is as stupid does

  1. Stupid behaviour indicates stupidity.
    • As long as a man can pay twenty shillings in the pound and a trifle over, what does it matter
      if all the judges in the land was to call him stupid?' said Snengkeld.
      "Stupid is as stupid does." said Kantwise.
      "Stupid be d--." said Moulder.
      "Mr. Moulder, there's ladies present." said Mrs. Smiley,1882 Anthony Trollope: Orley Farm

Origin of stupid is as stupid does

Apparently modeled on handsome is as handsome does. Attested since at least 1862, but popularized (perhaps independently) by the 1994 film Forrest Gump.

Questions about stupid is as stupid does

What does stupid is as stupid does mean?
Stupid is as stupid does means stupid behaviour indicates stupidity.
What part of speech is stupid is as stupid does?
Stupid is as stupid does is a proverb.

Words near stupid is as stupid does in the dictionary

  1. stupent
  2. stupeous
  3. stupes
  4. stupid
  5. stupid drunk
  6. stupid is as stupid does
  7. stupid o'clock
  8. stupid tax
  9. stupid taxes
  10. stupid-ass
  11. stupid-asses

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: stupid is as stupid does (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-stupid is as stupid does.wav.

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