idiot savant
noun
Simple meaning
Person who is mentally retarded in general but who displays remarkable aptitude in some limited field.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ideeuhtsuhvahntSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɪdiətsəvɑnt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Person who is mentally retarded in general but who displays remarkable aptitude in some limited field (usually involving memory)
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: Person who is mentally retarded in general but who displays remarkable aptitude in some limited field (usually involving memory)
In this sense, idiot savant is a very strong, expressive word and lands as a direct insult about someone's intelligence.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Very strong
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Harsh or blunt
- Usage feel
- Blunt and forceful
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “idiot savant” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.