Derived from: “Useful Idiot” (20th century Cold War term for obedient pawns of authoritarian regimes)
Modern Definition – 2025+ Edition:
A person—typically overeducated and underemployed—who, despite possessing access to vast information and elite academic institutions, dedicates their life to parroting establishment propaganda, enforcing groupthink, and shaming dissenters, all while contributing nothing of real value to society.
Unlike the original Useful Idiots, who were at least functionally useful to the regimes they served, Useless Idiots are a net drain on civilization:
Degrees in Queer Postmodern Interpretive Dance or Climate Reparations Economics
Attitudes of revolutionary importance while working part-time in coffee shops
Unable to foam milk or reset a router, but will lecture you on intersectional hegemony while spelling your name wrong
Full of rage when reminded they voluntarily majored in unemployability, and chose activism as personality
Self-identify as anti-authoritarian rebels, yet demanded you be arrested in 2020 for hugging your grandma
They serve you cold coffee with Ana Kasparian ("I'm Better Than You") sass and the smug self-regard of an unpaid MSNBC intern. They want the revolution, but only if someone else funds it and they still get oat milk.
Modern Definition – 2025+ Edition:
A person—typically overeducated and underemployed—who, despite possessing access to vast information and elite academic institutions, dedicates their life to parroting establishment propaganda, enforcing groupthink, and shaming dissenters, all while contributing nothing of real value to society.
Unlike the original Useful Idiots, who were at least functionally useful to the regimes they served, Useless Idiots are a net drain on civilization:
Degrees in Queer Postmodern Interpretive Dance or Climate Reparations Economics
Attitudes of revolutionary importance while working part-time in coffee shops
Unable to foam milk or reset a router, but will lecture you on intersectional hegemony while spelling your name wrong
Full of rage when reminded they voluntarily majored in unemployability, and chose activism as personality
Self-identify as anti-authoritarian rebels, yet demanded you be arrested in 2020 for hugging your grandma
They serve you cold coffee with Ana Kasparian ("I'm Better Than You") sass and the smug self-regard of an unpaid MSNBC intern. They want the revolution, but only if someone else funds it and they still get oat milk.
“No, Kendra, I will not sign your petition to abolish Thanksgiving. You’re a fucking Useless Idiot who couldn’t even make my latte hot.”
by SrcMaker June 16, 2025
Get the Useless Idiotmug. (Collective noun) a group of aging, white, conservative males. Called such for their inability to come to a reasonable agreement when gathered together to address an issue and essentially end up doing nothing or making more complicated problems in the process.
The useless gathered together to vote on the stimulus package but, with no surprise to anyone, failed to do much to way lay the economic panic of the people.
by Ferralyn river November 1, 2020
Get the Uselessmug. This was specially created for this definition.
-This Def is useless
-yeah
-yeah
by joporsche November 23, 2021
Get the uselessmug. Usually someone utterly, totally useless, but can be applied to inanimate objects. Lacking any empowerment, thus going so far as to be inactively obstructive.
Etymology: in the UK a number of large companies operate call-centres. When one attempts to call these to complain, the usual response from the responder (the call-centre operative) is feigned interest in the issue, involving lengthy explanations, then the final response is that they cannot authorise the issue in question as due to lack of authority. The issues can be of any magnitude. When asked to be passed to a manager, they claim the manager is unavailable and will call back (this is the inactive-obstructive part). This never occurs, so one calls again. The situation recurses.
c.f. "chocolate teapot"
Etymology: in the UK a number of large companies operate call-centres. When one attempts to call these to complain, the usual response from the responder (the call-centre operative) is feigned interest in the issue, involving lengthy explanations, then the final response is that they cannot authorise the issue in question as due to lack of authority. The issues can be of any magnitude. When asked to be passed to a manager, they claim the manager is unavailable and will call back (this is the inactive-obstructive part). This never occurs, so one calls again. The situation recurses.
c.f. "chocolate teapot"
I attempted to wipe my arse with some own-brand toilet paper, after wiping the paper looked clean but the disgusting skiddies in my kecks later showed it was as useless as a call-centre operative.
by monsieur_tm December 30, 2013
Get the useless as a call-centre operativemug. Aqua is so useless, she makes that Yamcha looks like Goku, Magikarp looks like Gyarados and Sakura looks like Erza Scarlet compared to her
by IDontCareBro September 12, 2022
Get the Uselessmug. by Dattokar August 31, 2022
Get the Useless dick flapmug.