nincompoop
English · Thesaurus
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nincompoop
- /ˈnɪŋkəmpuːp/ UK
- /ˈnɪŋkəmˌpup/ US
- /ˈnɪn-/ US
Where it comes from
Uncertain; the first element nincom- is possibly from the name Nicholas or Nicodemus (compare French nicodème (“foolish or gullible person”), from the Pharisee named Nicodemus mentioned in the Bible who asks Jesus seemingly naive questions: see John 3:1–21), or from ninny (“foolish or silly person”), while the second element -poop could be derived from poop (“(obsolete) to cheat, deceive, fool”). The English lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) suggested that the first element might be from Latin non compos (mentis) (“not of sound mind”), but the Oxford English Dictionary notes that this does not correspond with early forms of the word from the 16th century such as nickumpoop and nicompoop.
noun nincompoops · nickumpoop · nicompoop · nincumpoop
-
A foolish or silly person.
The Ship of Fools Fully Fraught and Richly Laden with Asses, Fools, Jack-daws, Ninnihammers, Coxcombs, Slender-wits, Shallowbrains, Paper-Skuls, Simpletons, Nickumpoops, Wiseakers, Dunces, and Blockheads. Declaring their several Natures, Manners, and Constitutions; the occasion why this Ship was bui
Similar: dunderhead, fool, imbecile, nitwit, gaby, hammerhead, putz, alcatote, asshat, arsehole, asshole, bayard
Translations
Every language
noun foolish or silly person
| Español | bendito, bobo, ceporro, zoquete, zopenco, cenutrio |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | あんぽんたん, うすらとんかち, おたんちん |
| 中文 | 笨人 bènrén, 傻子 shǎzi |
| हिन्दी | साला sālā, बेवक़ूफ़ bevqūf |
| Português | bobo, idiota, imbecil, palerma, tolo |
| Français | abruti, benêt, bêta, bercé trop près du mur, cloche, con |
| Deutsch | Dummkopf, Einfaltspinsel, Trottel |
| Italiano | babbeo, coglione, cretino, idiota, imbecille, stupido |
| Ελληνικά | κουτορνίθι koutorníthi |
| Русский | дурачо́к duračók |
| עברית | טפש tipesh, טפשה tipsha |
Talk about this word "nincompoop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nincompoop. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nincompoop. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nincompoop "nincompoop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nincompoop.Cite this
@misc{nincompoop_2026,
title = {nincompoop},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nincompoop},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
