heypolyglot
Italian

scemo

/ˈʃe.mo/adjective / noun · masculineA2 / B1
Extended vocabulary · Vocabulary rank 8,010

Meaning · adjective

stupid, silly

  • lacking intelligence or common sense; foolish
  • playfully silly or harmlessly ridiculous

In a sentence

Smettila di fare lo scemo e ascoltami!

Stop fooling around and listen to me!

È stata un'idea scema lasciare le chiavi dentro.

It was a silly idea to leave the keys inside.

Non sono così scemo da credere a questa storia.

I'm not so stupid as to believe this story.

Word forms (4)
WordWord forms
scemomasculine · singular
scemafeminine · singular
scemimasculine · plural
scemefeminine · plural

Usage notes

  • Informal: can be affectionate among friends, but mildly offensive to strangers.
  • Also widely used as a masculine or feminine noun: uno scemo, una scema (a fool).

Related words

Opposites

Meaning · noun

idiot, fool

  • a silly, foolish, or stupid person; idiot, fool

In a sentence

Smettila di fare lo scemo e ascolta quello che ti dico!

Stop playing the fool and listen to what I am telling you!

Ha risposto come uno scemo senza nemmeno riflettere sulla domanda.

He answered like an idiot without even thinking about the question.

Perché ti comporti sempre da scemo davanti ai tuoi amici?

Why do you always act like a fool in front of your friends?

Word forms (2)
WordWord forms
scemomasculine · singular
scemimasculine · plural

Usage notes

  • Informal: mildly insulting or playfully teasing, softer than 'stupido' or 'idiota'.
  • Also widely used as an adjective: 'un'idea scema'.

Related words

Opposites

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