DictionarydopeFoolish person
noun

dope

A foolish or easily deceived person.

I feel like a dope when I forget my own password.

Etymology

Dutch doop meant a sauce or dip. English dope came to mean a thick preparation; the insulting personal sense is associated with the familiar metaphor of someone being thick-headed or slow to understand.

More examples

  • Don't be a dope and give a stranger your bank details.
  • Those dopes believe every rumor they hear.
  • I was such a dope to leave the tickets at home.

Forms

dope · dopes

dopey adjective — Foolish or slow to understand things.

Similar words

fool
A broad term for someone who acts without good judgment.
dupe
Emphasizes being tricked by someone, rather than general foolishness.