Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Dumb People Say To Sound Smart

People Break Down Which Things Dumb People Say To Sound Smart
Make us preferred on Google

Not everyone is capable of mastering the art of conversation.

It takes skill to perpetuate a lively discussion while also being a respectful listener.

Some people are naturals at this.

Others, however, make up for their self-aware verbal shortcomings by overcompensating. Unfortunately, the ruse ends up exposing their insecurity, much to the delight of their amused audience.


Curious to hear examples of this, Redditor TheArchitect_7 asked:

"What’s a thing dumb people say that makes them think they sound smart?"

Some people just want reactions more than a back-and-forth interaction.

Attention-Seeker

"'You wouldn't understand.' Yeah, that's why I asked you for an explanation."

– Appropriate_Donkey18

Fancy Words

"I sometimes use big words that I don't really understand to make myself sound more ambidextrous."

– Alone_Ad1278

Looking At The Score

"The more someone emphasizes their IQ, the less smart I think they actually are."

– rmshilpi

Hackneyed Sayings

"Everything happens for a reason, nothing is actually 'free' as someone has to pay for it, both parties are the same, you may have book smarts, but I have street smarts, common sense isn't so common anymore, but that's how we've always done it!"

"An addition to the previous: 'We will send 40 billion to Ukraine, but we won't spend 40 billion to secure our schools!'"

– humorous_anecdote

Things can get wacky when dealing with someone who is cantankerous.

Futile Argument

"Something along the lines of 'You can’t prove it didn’t happen.'"

"A guy at work tried to pull this one on me. He believed one of those Animal Planet mockumentaries about a giant killer shark was real. When I told him it was all fiction and that there was no real proof of this kind of stuff, he tried to argue back about while he couldn’t prove it, I couldn’t disprove it either."

"There’s a saying about getting into an argument with a stupid person. This was my real world experience with it."

– WongoKnight

Status

"Do you know who I am?"

– FoxFourTwo

The Equivalent Of Winning

"Thinking that getting a reaction out of someone is the same thing as winning an argument."

– bcopes158

Please Define

"My friend once used the phrase 'By its very definition' while we were arguing about something...so I asked him what the definition actually was, while he fumbled with that a bit I told him to stop using weasel words."

– groovyinutah

No Kidding

"'it all depends on how you look at it.' yeah thats f'king obvious."

– psychpopnprogncore

We all love a good malaprop.

Or Intents

"For all intensive purposes"

– p38-lightning

It's Moot, Really

“Mute point”

"Cracks me up every time."

– Ed_The_Bloody

Sometimes, editing yourself a bit in discourse with those who are intellectually out of your league is better than trying to keep up with them in an attempt to win their favor by articulating something you know nothing about.

I would explain better, but you wouldn't understand. ​

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Joe Biden; Donald Trump
@Acyn/X; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Biden Rips 'Loser' Trump And His DC 'Vanity Projects' In Rare Attack Since Leaving Office

Former President Joe Biden called President Donald Trump "a loser" and criticized Trump's many "vanity projects" in blistering remarks issued at the Maryland Democratic Party gala on Saturday.

Biden in particular called out Trump for diminishing the United States' standing around the world, particularly by attacking our NATO allies and backing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amy Adams
Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Apple TV/Getty Images

Amy Adams Reveals She Saved Stabbing Victim's Life Thanks To Skills She Learned On Short-Lived TV Medical Drama

We've all heard how important it is to be a lifelong learner and to try to learn something new every single day. And if you're Amy Adams, what you learn might save someone's life someday.

While on the SmartLess podcast, Adams reflected on some of her biggest roles, like Arrival, and that one time she was on a limited series on CBS, only for the channel to cancel the medical drama after five episodes, even though it was only set to run for ten. The remaining five episodes were never released.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bill Burr on The Big Podcast; Shaquille O'Neal on The Big Podcast
The Big Podcast with Shaq/YouTube

Bill Burr Epically Roasts Shaq For Claiming That The Earth Is Flat Due To His Experience On Planes

There is arguably no conspiracy theory more notorious than the idea that the Earth is flat rather than round.

Despite hard scientific evidence to prove otherwise, "flat Earthers" seem to be growing at a surprising rate.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dwayne Johnson
VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Dwayne Johnson Sparks Debate After His Comments About Why He Stays Out Of Politics Rub Some Fans The Wrong Way

Former football player turned professional wrestler turned actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is facing fan backlash over recent comments he's made about remaining an apolitical public figure when most of his fellow performers have chosen to either speak out against injustice in fascism or wholly embrace it.

In an interview with Esquire, Johnson criticized his colleagues for sharing their political views with the public.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Elizabeth Warren
CNBC

CNBC Includes Hilarious Typo In Chyron During Elizabeth Warren Interview About AI—And We're Obsessed

After Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren appeared on CNBC to decry the lack of AI regulations in the United States, the network misquoted her in a chyron with a typo when she discussed AI's "funky, hinky bookkeeping."

Warren, who has been working with Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, a fellow Democrat, on legislation to address this deficit, also pointed out that the Trump administration has no regulators to speak of.

Keep ReadingShow less