scemo

stupid, dumb

adjective SHEH-moh Rare

Also means

faded, dim (of light or color)

Usage Note

Scemo is the everyday colloquial word for 'stupid' or 'dimwit' and is milder than idiota or cretino. It also functions as a noun: uno scemo (a fool). The original sense — still alive in formal and literary Italian — is 'diminished, faded' (e.g., luna scema, the waning moon). Do not confuse with schiuma (foam) or schema (diagram).

Examples

"Non fare lo scemo, hai capito benissimo."

Natural Translation

Don't play dumb, you understood perfectly.

Literal Translation

Don't do the dumb-one, you-have understood very-well.

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