Is there a word for "clever fool?"

Question

What do you call a person who despite being very clever in one field, e.g. math or physics, behaves very unwisely or impractical in real life?
I know some people who are very well educated and can solve difficult scientific problems, but they seem to belong to some different society. They can easily be cheated by any fraud, they are often absentminded so they lose their belonging all the time etc.
Do you have a word for this kind of people?

"Absentminded professor" (not one word) and "nerd" (implies social awkwardness, not foolishness) sprang to mind, but neither is a perfect fit. — Marthaª, Mar 23 '11 at 13:16
There was of course James I & VI who was said to be "the wisest fool in Christendom, meaning him wise in small things, but a fool in weighty affairs" — Henry, Mar 23 '11 at 16:01
@RegDwight: Oh, thanks, when I start to learn German it will be great to know this word from the very beginning. — Edwin Ross, Mar 23 '11 at 17:41

Callithumpian · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-23T15:19:42.543

16

I've heard people like that described as book smart. It is sometimes used as the opposite of street-smart.

Being able to succeed scholastically, and not necessarily in the real world.

Urban Dictionary

edited Mar 23 '11 at 15:19

answered Mar 23 '11 at 11:46

Callithumpian

24,764

++ Probably the most suitable term, along with naive. – Ed Guiness Mar 23 '11 at 14:00
There are so many interesting versions and it is a pity that I can chose only one. – Edwin Ross Mar 23 '11 at 17:36

score 12 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 08:12

12

An idiot savant, perhaps?

idiot sa·vant (n.)
1. a person affected with a mental disability (as autism or mental retardation) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (as mathematics or music)
2. a person who is highly knowledgeable about one subject but knows little about anything else

answered Mar 23 '11 at 08:12

Uticensis

21,799

That's still two words ;) – Alain Mar 23 '11 at 12:51
3

@Alain: it's not the worst fit, and you can easily drop the idiot part and just say savant. – RegDwigнt Mar 23 '11 at 14:03
2

I don't think that this meets the OP's requirements at all, as an idiot savant is a person who is actually mentally retarded, but has exaggerated ability in some narrow specialty. That's a very different thing from someone who has normal intelligence but a lack of practical common sense. – JSBձոգչ Mar 23 '11 at 14:08
@JSBangs It is not always used in a technical sense; in fact, the technical sense doesn't exist anymore. The second definition given above suffices for the OP's purposes. – Uticensis Mar 23 '11 at 14:10
1

Idiot savant is just like the words moron, imbecile, idiot, in that regard; they used to designate very precise IQ levels, but have become generalist terms to mean "stupid". – Uticensis Mar 23 '11 at 14:15
The term savant is commonly used now. Actually, I had thought idiot savant was now considered offensive. In casual usage, I would assume a person described as a savant was particularly brilliant in some regard but generally foolish in most other areas. – CodexArcanum Mar 23 '11 at 15:08
No, watch a program on idiot savants. They usually have astounding capability (to read extremely fast or solve multiplication problems in their head), but cannot form a sentence. – bobobobo Sep 09 '11 at 17:15

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:40

6

You might be looking for sophomore, which (according to some sources) can be traced to the Greek words sophos, meaning "wise", and moros, meaning "fool".

answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:40

Joel Neely

69

4

Etymology rarely has anything to do with current usage. The adjective form sophomoric does have a disparaging meaning, but it means something akin to immature, with no cleverness implied. The noun sophomore doesn't even carry that meaning; it simply means a not-quite-beginner student. – Marthaª Mar 23 '11 at 17:27

score 4 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:48

4

Such people could be said to live in an Ivory Tower

ivory tower (plural ivory towers) (idiomatic)

A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.

Such a proposal looks fine from an ivory tower, but it could never work in real life.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ivory_tower

answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:48

Robb

1,956
13
17

OP asked for an adjective that would describe a person, not a place where they can live. – Noaman Ali Oct 12 '22 at 06:46

score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:58

4

What do you call a person who despite being very clever in one field, e.g. math or physics, behaves very unwisely or impractical in real life?

Normal.

How many people fall for 'buy-one-get-one-free' offers (why isn't the price simply reduced) or 'super-size' deals?

I remember an old saying 'penny-wise, pound-foolish'

With tongue, embedded in cheek,

Chris

answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:58

Chris McCauley

189

1

Actually, I think "Normal" - although most people wouldn't 'get it', is bang on. My observation has been that the smartest people I've known invariable have an equal-and-opposite (as it were) area of in-expertise. – MickeyfAgain_BeforeExitOfSO Mar 23 '11 at 13:45
The OP is looking for a word to describe people who are abnormally normal. – intuited Apr 12 '11 at 07:29

score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Dec 03 '20 at 20:11

2

Morosoph (n.) : A Learned fool.

Definition from Merriam Webster.

answered Dec 03 '20 at 20:11

Noaman Ali

360

1

This is what I would say! – Decapitated Soul Dec 03 '20 at 20:37

score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 08:11

1

The word hubris comes to mind; you wouldn't apply it to an individual but to his/her actions. Also, it has a connotation of arrogance rather than inadvertent behaviour; I am not sure this is what you're after.

answered Mar 23 '11 at 08:11

CesarGon

3,595

score 1 · Answer 8 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 08:20

1

I would describe that type of person as having a 'lack of common sense' but I can't think of a single word to express the concept.

answered Mar 23 '11 at 08:20

nicholas ainsworth

8,708

Read again. The OP tagged this under 'single-word-requests'. – Noaman Ali Dec 07 '20 at 11:42

score 1 · Answer 9 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:39

1

Perhaps an intellectual would cover it, although this word more usually means experts in politics or economics who are likewise clueless about everyday reality.

answered Mar 23 '11 at 12:39

Brian Hooper

36,868

score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 14:35

1

Unworldly or otherworldly are the best single words I can come up with. There's no strong implication of expertise in a narrow field as there would be with idiot savant though.

answered Mar 23 '11 at 14:35

score 1 · Answer 11 · answered Mar 23 '11 at 16:46

Egghead has a touch of both the positive and negative connotations you’re looking for. Maybe not enough. Dreamer, daydreamer and visionary are along the same lines.

The absent-minded professor stereotype you describe is more or less what people conjure up when you say philosopher—though of course that word denotes a particular job or field of study.

Such a person is usually eccentric too.

apaderno · Answer 12 · 2011-03-23T10:44:07.143

0

Autistic could be a word I would use in such cases, but I would mean it figuratively.

edited Mar 23 '11 at 10:44

answered Mar 23 '11 at 10:37

apaderno

59,185

7

Perhaps if this were the 1950s... Even figuratively, that is fairly harsh given what we know today about the condition/spectrum. – Michael Easter Mar 23 '11 at 10:41
1

@Michael Easter: The OP didn't ask for a word that would not be harsh. – apaderno Mar 23 '11 at 10:44
1

Although autistic people are sometimes incredibly smart that is not always the case, and viceversa. In that sense Billare answer (idiot savant) is much better. – nico Mar 23 '11 at 10:46

score 0 · Answer 13 · edited Nov 19 '11 at 15:47

0

Oh, you're talking about Professor Calculus.

edited Nov 19 '11 at 15:47

apaderno

59,185

answered Mar 23 '11 at 17:20

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered Apr 12 '11 at 06:40

0

Literally, there's sophomore - σοφός (sophos, “wise”) + μωρός (mōros, “fool”).

answered Apr 12 '11 at 06:40

Michael Lorton

28,092

Is there a word for "clever fool?"

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