Often, when asked not to use the R-word, defensive speakers will reply, "You can't say anything these days!" But people, that's just a failure of imagination. Many, many, many substitutes for that offensive slur against individuals with intellectual disabilities are just a thesaurus away. In fact, I'll make it even easier than that -- in these pages, I'll share 225 words that can easily stand in for the R-word and make your vocabulary less limited.
First, a selection of words to substitute for the R-word when you want to be self-deprecating. Fill in the blank with one of the 75 choices below.
"I am such a(n) ______________"
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- blunderer
- bonehead
- boob
- bubblehead
- buffoon
- bungler
- butterfingers
- child
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clod
- clodhopper
- clown
- crackpot
- cuckoo
- damn-fool
- dim bulb
- dimwit
- ding-a-ling
- ding-dong
- dingbat
- dip
- dipstick
- dodo
- donkey
- doofus
- dope
- dolt
- dork
- dullard
- dumbbell
- dum-dum
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- featherhead
- fool
- goof
- goofball
- goose
- ignoramus
- incompetent
- jerk
- joke
- jughead
- know-nothing
- kook
- lamebrain
- lightweight
- loser
- lowbrow
- lummox
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- nincompoop
- ninny
- nitwit
- noob
- numskull
- oaf
- ox
- pudding head
- scatterbrain
- schlub
- schnook
- screwball
- slug
- turkey
- yahoo
- yokel
- yo-yo
I'm OK with them, but they don't feel as aggressive as the r-word.
ReplyDeleteI personally use "imbecile."
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