stupid is as stupid does

proverb

Stupid behaviour indicates stupidity.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. Stupid behaviour indicates stupidity.
    1 more example

    1882 Anthony Trollope: Orley Farm 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,

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

stupid is as stupid does. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stupid%20is%20as%20stupid%20does

MLA

“stupid is as stupid does.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stupid%20is%20as%20stupid%20does. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stupid is as stupid does,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stupid%20is%20as%20stupid%20does.

Source: stupid is as stupid does on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.