Stupidity in Malayalam
A stupid act or stupidity in general is മണ്ടത്തരം (mandatharam), and it is the word Keralites actually use when someone has done something daft. It is built from the word for dull or slow with an ending that makes it a quality. Say man-dat-ta-ram with retroflex d.
Stupidity, foolishness, idiocy.
ഇത് വലിയ മണ്ടത്തരം ആയിപ്പോയി.
ithu valiya mandatharam aayippoyi.
This turned out to be a big blunder.
All Malayalam words for “stupidity”
- മണ്ടത്തരം (mandatharam) — Stupidity, foolishness, idiocy.
- മന്ദത (mandhatha) — Stupidity, slowness, laziness, dullness, weakness, slovenliness.
- വങ്കത്തരം (vankatharam) — Stupidity, foolishness, idiocy.
- അജ്ഞത (ajnjatha) — Idiocy, stupidity.
- വിഡ്ഢിത്തം (vidditham) — Folly, foolishness, idiocy, stupidity.
മണ്ടത്തരം (mandatharam) and വിഡ്ഢിത്തം (vidditham) are the everyday words for folly, with വങ്കത്തരം (vankatharam) blunter and more insulting. അജ്ഞത (ajnjatha) is really ignorance, lack of knowledge, and മന്ദത (mandhatha) is dullness and sluggishness, used of a slow market as well as a slow mind.
Common questions
How do you say stupidity in Malayalam?
Say മണ്ടത്തരം (mandatharam) or വിഡ്ഢിത്തം (vidditham); both name a foolish act or foolishness as a quality.
Which of these should I avoid saying to someone?
വങ്കത്തരം (vankatharam), which comes across as a rude accusation rather than a comment on a mistake.