The addition of -ity to an adjective results in a shift of stress to the antepenultimate syllable; that is, words in -ity are stressed on the last syllable before the -ity, even in cases where this syllable is part of another suffix (as in words in -ability and -icity).
adjective, dumber, dumbest. 1. lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted. 2. lacking the power of speech (offensive when applied to humans): a dumb animal.
Here, idiotic indicates more severity than dumb or stupid, whereas dumb is the least severe or rather mild. Another difference between these terms is the fact that âstupidâ and âdumbâ are adjectives, whereas âidiotâ is a noun. This is important as it indicates how the words are used.