I am attempting to formulate a phrase that is an exceptional alternative to the banal "stupid". I have found some good contestants, but I feel that exiguous, if I am using it correctly, will fit the best for my taste. So far, I am attempting to decide among the following phrases:
"Intellectually impaired"
"Intellectually deficient"
"Intellectually meager"
"Intellectually inferior"
"Intellectually exiguous"
Example usage/real scenario (reason for which this question was asked):
"Who can use the most Propaganda in their advertisement without the intellectually [chosen word] majority noticing?"
Here's where the first question appears. Is "exiguous" used correctly in the following:
"Who can use the most Propaganda in their advertisement without the intellectually exiguous majority noticing?"
The taste that I previously referenced to was that of my perception of the word that best fits the above example. I was looking for a phrase whose meaning is, essentially, "stupid", but whose wording cannot be confused with something similar to "mentally handicapped" or "mentally challenged" with substantial ease. I suppose that when one closely analyzes the meaning of "stupid", it's almost inevitable that it'll be in affiliation with some mental disability. In the case that we completely disregard that, though, which of the phrases listed above would be the best fit for my situation? I'm almost certain I'd pick "exiguous". If I'm incorrectly using "exiguous" and I cannot use it, what would be the next best option to pick? Lastly, as a final request, are there any other alternative phrases similar to those listed above meaning "stupid" that you know or can fabricate?
Best Answer
I wouldn't use any of the five suggested terms. Three of them—"intellectually impaired," "intellectually deficient," and "intellectually inferior"—have obvious and unfortunate connotations of congenital mental deficiency that might suggest to some readers a eugenics-based arrogance on the part of the speaker/writer. There is no upside to being viewed as such a speaker/writer.
"Intellectually exiguous," although it enlists the mediating influence of the $3 word exiguous, still amounts to saying "intellectually inadequate," which again introduces the notion of innate intelligence or stupidity. "Intellectually meager" is the most creative option of the five, but it comes across as a bit odd—much as "intellectually sparse" or "intellectually skimpy" would.
In my view, a quasi-physiological critique is not necessary or desirable in characterizing the kind of "stupidity" that seems to be at issue in the sentence "Who can use the most Propaganda in their advertisement without the intellectually [chosen word] majority noticing?" As any good dictionary will affirm, stupidity can refer to poor judgment or to dulled perception as readily as it can to a shortcoming in raw intelligence. Rather than challenge the mental capacity or mental competence of the decried majority, I would focus on their slothful or submissive intellectual habits or on the state of disuse of their critical faculties. Along those lines, you might use one of these options:
There are many other options of a similar kind, none of which will make you sound like someone who is preoccupied with the idea of possessing a superior share of genetically inherited intelligence.