useful idiot

noun

plural useful idiots
: a naive or credulous person who can be manipulated or exploited to advance a cause or political agenda
It is one task of the KGB [in 1982] to apply its skills of secrecy and deception to projecting the Soviet party's influence. This it does through contacts with legal Communist Parties abroad, with groups sympathetic to Soviet goals, with do-gooders of the type that Lenin once described as "useful idiots" … .The Wall Street Journal

Examples of useful idiot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Thus what would seem like awful news (being accused by the federal government of being Russia’s useful idiot) is merely another avenue for engagement. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024 No wonder Russia finds its useful idiots among the extremely online. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024 Related article Netanyahu labels critics of war in Gaza ‘Iran’s useful idiots’ in speech to Congress Last week the World Health Organization said the polio virus had been found in sewage samples, putting thousands of Palestinians at risk of contracting a disease that can cause paralysis. Sahar Akbarzai, CNN, 26 July 2024 The useful idiots were in the Capitol’s House chamber, applauding every lie that came out of his mouth. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 July 2024 Over 1,200 useful idiots have been charged with crimes during the January 6th insurrection, many of them receiving significant time behind bars. Rafael Perez, Orange County Register, 12 Apr. 2024 At its most petty and oversimplified, the fascism question became yet another way for the left to play one of its oldest parlor games: progressives accusing other progressives of being useful idiots for centrism. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'useful idiot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of useful idiot was in 1864

Dictionary Entries Near useful idiot

Cite this Entry

“Useful idiot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useful%20idiot. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!