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

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

bedazzled MAGA hat
Timothy Hurst/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Threads User's Epic Rant Ripping MAGA Fans Who Now Claim They 'Always Had Doubts' About Trump Has The Internet Applauding

As prominent MAGA minions, like QAnon conspiracy peddler and former Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have come out against MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, so too are some lesser known individuals.

Whether it's his Iran War, his continuing saga with the Epstein files, his utter failure to keep any of his campaign promises that they banked on helping them, or the abject incompetence of his hand-picked personnel, some members of MAGA are distancing themselves from the cult.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Ripped For Somehow Making His 'Happy Mother's Day' Post All About Himself Without Any Mention Of Melania

President Donald Trump was criticized after he "honored" mothers on Mother's Day by attacking Democrats in a self-absorbed post on Truth Social, never mentioning his wife, First Lady Melania, who is the mother of his youngest son Barron.

Instead of acknowledging her and mothers around the country, Trump gloated about the economy and accused critics of having "Trump Derangement Syndrome," targeting Democrats and Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve Chair he's been trying to push out of his administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Zach Galifianakis; Donald Trump
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Zach Galifianakis Expertly Lays Into Comedians Who Refuse To 'Challenge' Trump When He's A Guest On Their Podcasts

Actor and comedian Zach Galifianakis called out comedians who have had President Donald Trump on their podcasts and didn't "challenge" him, noting that they've effectively abdicated their role by not making jokes at Trump's expense or pushing back against things he says.

Galifianakis made that argument during a recent episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, where host Conan O'Brien remarked that few, if any, people have challenged a sitting president the way Galifianakis did when he interviewed then-President Barack Obama in 2014 on his satirical series Between Two Ferns.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Sean Duffy
Fox News

Sean Duffy Ripped After Encouraging Americans To Take 'Road Trips' As Gas Prices Continue To Soar

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was called out after he encouraged Americans to take "road trips" as gas prices continue to rise as a result of President Donald Trump's war in Iran.

Republicans have faced pressure from constituents nationwide to address the rising cost of living, but Americans are feeling pain at the pump now that the Iran war, which the Trump administration kicked off in late February, has prompted a spike in gas prices.

Keep ReadingShow less
Crossing guard Jamele Ransom went viral after eating ice cream during a live TV interview.
@nbcphiladelphia/TikTok

Philadelphia Crossing Guard Goes To Town On Ice Cream Cone While Describing Truck Crash On TV—And Becomes An Instant Icon

I scream, you scream, and apparently, Philadelphia crossing guards scream for ice cream during breaking news interviews. Crossing guard Jamele Ransom became an instant internet favorite after casually eating a cone while recounting a chaotic playground crash near S. Weir Mitchell Elementary School on live TV.

The now-viral moment came after police said Robert Littlepage, 18, of Douglasville, Georgia, allegedly attempted a carjacking last Tuesday before stealing a white utility truck and crashing near the school.

Keep ReadingShow less