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Most of us do everything we can to avoid offending other people. We try to be polite, pleasant, and kind to other humans, whether they’re a close friend or a stranger on the street. But occasionally, you might find yourself in a situation where a sharp tongue and a quick mind will come in handy. So if you’re looking to slip some brutal insults into your back pocket, you’ve come to the right place.

Netizens have recently been recalling the most intelligent and scathing insults they’ve ever heard, so we’ve compiled a list of them below. These roasts are so brilliant that they might fly completely over someone’s head or take a moment for them to understand, but that’s what makes them so beautiful. Enjoy scrolling through these Shakespearean-esque digs, and be sure to upvote the ones that you’d love to dish out in the future!

#1

A man on stage touching his forehead in confusion, reacting to intelligent insults David Simon (creator of The Wire) to Florida congressman Anthony Sabatini who suggested in a Twitter post about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse that "DEI did this":

“Your mother did you, but after a hard life of service on a truck-stop lot, can we really hold her loosened, battered womb responsible for dropping you head-first on the Winnebago floor and burdening our society with another empty, racist demagogue thereafter? We cannot.”.

Perk_i , Guardian Live Report

Earthquake903
Community Member
Premium
57 minutes ago

Brilliant

RELATED:
    #2

    Two Golden Girls characters looking doubtful, illustrating subtle intelligent insults. • Rose: "Can I ask a dumb question?"

    • Dorothy: "Better than anyone I know.”.

    Wait_I_gotta_go_pee , TheChiken Man Report

    CJandMuse
    Community Member
    13 hours ago

    Anything Dorothy says can be added to this list. There's a reason she's Deadpool's hero

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    #3

    A black and white portrait of a smiling older man, illustrating clever wit and intelligent insults. The prime minister of NZ : the annual migration of NZers to Australia raises the average IQ of both countries.

    queefymeister , Archives New Zealand Report

    Sven Horlemann
    Community Member
    6 hours ago

    🤣 What a buuuurrrrrrn 🔥🔥🔥

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    #4

    Hank Hill looking shocked while holding a can, a reaction matching intelligent insults From" TheJeffersons". TV show. I believe the maid says to Mr. Jefferson, "That's not the stupidest thing I'll ever hear because you will keep talking". Made a big impression on me as a kid.

    Mountain_Pension_132 , Reactions for Reacting Report

    Teutonic Disaster
    Community Member
    12 hours ago

    The Jeffersons, King of the Hill... ehh, same difference, isn't it? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

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    #5

    A man in sunglasses leaning against a window, delivering intelligent insults with a cool expression You seem like the kind of guy who would climb a glass wall to see what’s on the other side.

    electricmtb21050 , wirestock Report

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    #6

    Three friends having an intense conversation, highlighting the social dynamics of intelligent insults. My top 3 favourates:

    I am impressed with your commitment to your current level of understanding.

    You're remarkably hard to underestimate.

    Somewhere in an attic, there is a portrait of you getting smarter.

    Smart_Potential7467 , fabrikasimf Report

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    #7

    An older man speaking thoughtfully, representing the delivery of intelligent insults. Gore Vidal got punched out by Norman Mailer at a party for writing a bad review of a Mailer book.

    From the floor: “Once again, words have failed Norman Mailer.”.

    ErnestoSawGerrera , Manufacturing Intellect Report

    Sven Horlemann
    Community Member
    6 hours ago

    Considering what happened, an elegant answer.

    #8

    A woman in a suit talking with a colleague, reflecting the concept of intelligent insults in professional settings. You're the first person I've met who actually reached their full potential.

    Salty_Paroxysm , pch.vector Report

    Norah Reilly
    Community Member
    Premium
    15 minutes ago

    Would you like another match for that already huge burn?

    #9

    Three friends laughing together outdoors, representing intelligent insults that are subtle Cognitive Minimalist took me a second, which was embarrassing for obvious reasons.

    DayLightLotus , magnific Report

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    #10

    A woman looking annoyed while her friends talk, capturing the reaction to intelligent insults. "Neither one of us has any idea what you're talking about".

    JM-Gurgeh , cookie_studio Report

    KatSaidThat
    Community Member
    4 hours ago

    I've actually stopped myself mid-flow when I realised that I am the only one that knew what I was talking about... and said as much.

    #11

    Laszlo from What We Do in the Shadows gesturing during a scene about intelligent insults From the TV show What We Do In The Shadows: "He's blessedly unburdened with the complications of a university education.".

    096 , FX Networks Report

    KatSaidThat
    Community Member
    4 hours ago

    I feel seen, and burnt.

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    #12

    Two people waving at each other from a distance, showing social dynamics linked to intelligent insults I'll see you later!
    Not if I see you first.

    I was pretty young when I heard that so I didn't realize the scenario was the second person saying "If I see you coming, I'll hide to avoid you seeing me so I don't have to talk to you.".

    sirenbrian , magnific Report

    KatSaidThat
    Community Member
    4 hours ago

    Suddenly this just sank like the chicken/road joke did many years later.

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    #13

    Describing an incompetent collegue who didn't understand a basic concept: "The gates are down... the lights are flashing... but the train ain't commin'...".

    JM-Gurgeh Report

    Earthquake903
    Community Member
    Premium
    56 minutes ago

    My inner Fred is trying real hard.....

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    #14

    A man listening intently with a coffee cup, perhaps hearing intelligent insults. Well aren't you just at the top of the bell curve.

    parrottail Report

    Jeff White
    Community Member
    12 hours ago

    I might have to use / steal this one.

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    #15

    A woman gesturing while speaking, giving what might be intelligent insults. One I have used to describe someone:

    "It is entirely true to say that he would win a philosophical debate with a common house brick. However an impartial observer would note that the victory was not an easy one.".

    Hexteacher , magnific Report

    Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Add us on Google

    #16

    Colorful crayons in a jar and on paper, symbolizing intelligent insults with colorful meanings I have neither the time or the crayons to explain it to you.

    StillLearning1971 , pixel-shot.com Report

    Jeff White
    Community Member
    12 hours ago

    Very Oldie, but still seems to pack some punch.

    #17

    A woman explaining something with hand gestures, illustrating intelligent insults in conversation I can explain it to you but I can’t understand it for you.

    megasalby , bokodi Report

    #18

    A man smiles into a microphone in a podcast studio, representing intelligent insults shared online I once overheard someone say "you have the perfect face for radio" and it sailed right past me until I was three blocks away. The delayed sting was almost worse than if I'd caught it immediately.

    New_Bag_2346 , senivpetro Report

    Teutonic Disaster
    Community Member
    12 hours ago

    You can up the ante by adding "and a voice for silent movies".

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    #19

    A woman smiling subtly at a man over dinner, hinting at intelligent insults. A drunk guy was once hitting on my coworker at the bar/restaurant we worked wt. When she politely rejected him he got all bent out of shape. He was giving her a hard time after that. I cant remember exactly what he said, but something like, "you sure you should be wearing those low rise jeans? They give you a muffin top. Most women cant pull that off."

    Without missing a beat, "well, you dont have the face, body or personality to pull off the level entitlement it takes to tell a woman what she should be wearing, but here we are." The table of guys he was with absolutely erupted with laughter. I dont think the dude quite got it. He looked like he was still trying to figure it out as she walked away.

    But also, a woman shouldnt have to drop Eminem level comebacks before the entire table of men a harasser is with finally decides she deserves respect and steps in.

    PleasantSalad , magnific Report

    Balseraph
    Community Member
    13 hours ago

    I'll take "Things That Someone Wishes They'd Said" for 100, please.

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    #20

    From the TV show Firefly: "My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.".

    ratbastid Report

    #21

    "A man so dense that light bends around him".

    Littlesth0b0 Report

    #22

    A hairstylist adjusting a woman's hair, representing the subtle art of intelligent insults I'm glad you think it makes you look better - my DIL to me after I got a haircut that I liked.

    ILikeGardeningToo , The Yuri Arcurs Collection Report

    #23

    Winston Churchill in black and white, known for delivering legendary intelligent insults. Churchill's famous assessment of one of his portraits was that is was a "remarkable example of modern art". He hated it so much he had it burned.

    zerbey , British Pathé Report

    Ace
    Community Member
    Premium
    10 hours ago

    Seems that he did indeed hate it but that it was his wife who had it destroyed. See it and read about it !W Portrait_of_Winston_Churchill_(Sutherland)

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    #24

    I've only said "Look, a distraction!" once and it worked immediately. The best part was the person's face as he turned back to glare at me.

    Infra_bread Report

    Khavrinen
    Community Member
    1 hour ago

    Squirrel!!

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    #25

    Working with you is like working by myself, only harder.

    longhornrob Report

    #26

    I was in college, goofing around in a target (probably riding a cart) and a friend of mine heard the customer service counter guy say, "Oh look, the poster child for birth control".

    jeffeb3 Report

    #27

    A person wearing headphones looking at a laptop, reading witty examples of intelligent insults Composer Max Reiger's response to a vicious critique:

    "I am sitting in the smallest room of my house. Your review is before me. Soon it will be behind me.".

    xv_boney , DIFFUS Report

    Fred
    Community Member
    12 hours ago

    There was a composer Max Reger. There's a singer & songwriter Max Rieger.

    #28

    Two male colleagues discussing work on a laptop, perhaps sharing intelligent insults. For coworkers:
    Boy, you sure make this look hard.

    Bud, I'm going to claim you as a dependant on my tax return.

    To an apprentice: one day you are going to make a great apprentice.

    crujones43 , drobotdean Report

    Khavrinen
    Community Member
    1 hour ago

    "... but today is not that day."

    #29

    “What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”.

    InTheFDN Report

    CJandMuse
    Community Member
    13 hours ago

    I know I should know what this is from... But it is alluding me

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    #30

    A man yelling while sitting in an armchair, illustrating a moment of intelligent insults. One that has always stuck with me was the time I heard my roommates jokingly complaining about each other. One had long hair and a beard and was pretty chill so we called him Jesus. The other roommate said, loud enough for the entire apartment to hear, "Jesus left all of his dishes in the sink ... and he turned all of our water into wine!"

    Not missing a beat from the other room, Jesus' voice echoed "sounds like you turned your tone into whine"

    It took my other roommate a solid 5 seconds to process what was said and meant. Then he just deflated at the realization that he set himself up for that comeback. Jesus came out and put his dishes away.

    Mknight13 , stockking Report

    #31

    I like "burdened by delusions of adequacy".

    Outrageous-Level4731 Report

    #32

    Scar from The Lion King looking smug, representing clever and intelligent insults. Took me like 30 years to fully understand this line from The Lion King:

    "I know that your powers of retention are as wet as a warthog's backside"

    Aka "y'all got potatoes for brains".

    thotkeys , Disney Songbooks by Ross Thomas Creations Report

    #33

    Chef told my kitchen that they were as useless as a slinky. Not good for anything, but it still brings a smile to your face when you kick them down the stairs.

    PM_urfavoritethings Report

    #34

    A woman in a red outfit talking to a vintage robot, symbolizing intelligent insults from sci-fi "That young girl is one of the least benightedly unintelligent organic life forms it has been my profound lack of pleasure not to be able to avoid meeting."

    -Marvin The Paranoid Android giving a backhanded compliment.

    fonetik , BBC Studios Report

    #35

    Business professionals in a meeting room, sharing intelligent insults in a professional setting Overheard in a meeting, "i think we should all take a moment to appreciate how confident you are about that." took the bloke twenty minutes and a coffee break.

    emptyTinware , dmitrytph Report

    #36

    One day I was working in the office and went to the break room for a snack. There were few others in there, small talking and laughing. Then the door swung open, and in marched Marjory. Marjory was universally disliked. She ran over people like that big rock ball in Raiders of the Lost Ark. She was a large lady with a bad attitude. We all hunkered down waiting for the inevitable storm. But no, right behind Marjory was our boss, Ms. Watkings. The boss said hello and walked to the coffee pot to get a cup. Marjory started needling with the sticky sweet "Hello's". Almost daring anyone to say anything. Ms. Watkins turned on her heel, coffee in hand and said,"Ah, sweet, little MaryAnn." Marjory huffed a reply,"I'm NOT MaryAnn." And the boss looked that woman straight in the eyes and said," I know." and walked out.

    sirdollface Report

    #37

    "I'm convinced everyone in that meeting knows what their windows taste like".

    theOtherJT Report

    Jeff White
    Community Member
    12 hours ago

    Hmmm, good one as I don't get it. It's close and I think if I do get it, I will like it. But ...

    #38

    I read a letter of recommendation that was actually a warning. It used phrases like "I can't recommend George too highly" and "We are thrilled to see him move on".

    ImprovementFar5054 Report

    #39

    A thoughtful woman looking away, pondering intelligent insults that are hard to spot > I guess you only know the abridged version of Descartes.

    Was not smart enough to understand that one when I overheard it to be honest, till my friend repeated "I think, therefore...you know it right?".

    SyanticRaven , The Yuri Arcurs Collection Report

    #40

    A coworker once told another colleague, mid-argument: "If brains were dynamite, you wouldn't have enough to blow your nose." Everyone in the room went quiet for about three seconds while it landed. It's not even that clever on paper, but delivered at exactly the right moment it cut like a scalpel.

    Happy-Direction-9318 Report

    Peter Bear
    Community Member
    10 minutes ago (edited)

    If brains were bees, there'd be no honey between your ears. And if brains were bread, you'd have starved to dèath before you were born. Thank you to the late, great Brian Jacques for both of those variants.

    #41

    A group of coworkers chatting in an office, discussing examples of intelligent insults After the subject finished a several-minutes rant where they clearly had no idea what they were talking about:
    "I do admire your confidence.".

    Easy_Cry1296 , drobotdean Report

    #42

    An angry female boss lecturing her male employee, representing intelligent insults. I’m sorry but if you were right I would agree with you”.

    DrSamLoomis , Getty Images Report

    #43

    A man with a surfboard standing on the beach, unaware of potential intelligent insults. When I was younger, must have been around 16 just finished comprehensive school, I walked into a local surf shop and the owner offered me a job right then and there. I took the job and worked there for a few months until I was fired for whatever reason. About a year later I bumped into the owner (it was a local club, he was alone and wasted) and he said, “You were hired on looks and you were fired on looks”, and I still don’t quite get it 😅.

    CharCharGabor , wayhomestudio Report

    #44

    Breathtakingly pedestrian.

    utjprice Report

    #45

    We were waiting to get off a plane and an older man said to another across the aisle "hey, I want to hold onto this book as I'm not quite done with it". The other man quickly retorted " I thought so, there are some big words in it ".

    MacaroonNew3142 Report

    #46

    I've always liked 'If you were half as smart as you think you are, you'd be twice as smart as you are' because it makes everyone stop and do the algebra in their head. Including me making sure that I said it right.

    One-Earth9294 Report

    #47

    I would buy you at my estimation of you, and sell you at yours, and I'd make a handsome profit.

    boating_accidents Report

    #48

    He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
    You hear it and think art reference - oh, nice. Then you remember Van Gogh... cut off his own ear. Meaning he's tone deaf.

    Existing_Cutiee Report

    #49

    I’ve always appreciated how you don't let logic slow you down.

    StandardReal1 Report

    #50

    Does it echo in there, when you blink?

    Hot-Secretary5998 Report

    #51

    You brighten every room you walk out of.

    Hot-Secretary5998 Report

    Peter Bear
    Community Member
    9 minutes ago

    Yonder goes ol' Bob; when he shows up it's like three good men leaving.

    #52

    Someone told me "you're the reason God created the middle finger" and i laughed for a solid 10 seconds before it hit me that i was the only one laughing.

    Forward_Track3456 Report

    #53

    Talking to you is like reading the terms and conditions: I know I should stop, but I keep hoping there’s something useful at the end.

    uncensrdmind Report

    #54

    My wife explained a Vietnamese phrase to me, essentially “who told you to do that?” Saying this to someone after they made an entirely independent decision that was a bad one, like they could only have done it if someone gave them awful advice.

    118238 Report

    #55

    To a fellow electrical engineer, the work you do is complex; half of it is imaginary.

    ALGhostGuy Report

    #56

    “Your indolence is inefficacious”

    THAT MEANS YOU’RE TERRIBLE!

    Eric848448 Report

    Cerulean
    Community Member
    12 hours ago

    Does it.

    #57

    "... I was going to jokingly insult you, but I couldn't think of anything that wasn't true.".

    Fit-Switch-5795 Report

    #58

    “You’re the kind of person that has to look at both earbuds before putting them in”
    After putting in “L”, only an idiot would have to verify the other said “R” before putting it in.

    Puzzleheaded-Angle84 Report

    #59

    I've always wanted to use the insult, "Man, your brain is sure smooth." to see if they get it or not.

    FeelTheWrath79 Report

    MushroomHead22
    Community Member
    38 minutes ago

    *man, your brain sure is smooth... poor chap couldn't even get it right.

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