useful idiot
noun
plural useful idiots
: a naive or credulous person who can be manipulated or exploited to advance a cause or political agenda
… you might want to think twice about voting for your … incumbent senator, congressman or state legislator, who sees you as nothing more than their useful idiot.—
Dion Lefler
Dion LeflerExamples of useful idiot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead of forcing the Democrats on the sidelines to decide whether to help facilitate higher taxes in Contra Costa and Los Angeles Counties, those Republicans ditched taxpayer interests and decided to be the useful idiots of the supermajority.
—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
22 May 2026
That’s the useful part of the AI in the useful idiot consideration.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
A lot of people in tech regard the media as useful idiots.
—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
The screaming useful idiots on college campuses are not hanging out in encampments but rather sleeping blissfully in their beds.
—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Jan. 2026
With useful idiots like Laura Ali.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
But rather than being brave truth tellers, the authors are playing the role of useful idiots.
—
Adam Becker,
The Atlantic,
19 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
22 May 2026
That’s the useful part of the AI in the useful idiot consideration.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
A lot of people in tech regard the media as useful idiots.
—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
The screaming useful idiots on college campuses are not hanging out in encampments but rather sleeping blissfully in their beds.
—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Jan. 2026
With useful idiots like Laura Ali.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
But rather than being brave truth tellers, the authors are playing the role of useful idiots.
—
Adam Becker,
The Atlantic,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Useful idiot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useful%20idiot. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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