Wiktionary
n. 1 (context historical pejorative political jargon English) Soviet sympathizer in Western countries, from the perspective of the political right. 2 (context pejorative political jargon English) One who is seen to unwittingly support a malignant cause through their 'naive' attempts to be a force for good.
Wikipedia
In political jargon, useful idiot is a term for people perceived as propagandists for a cause whose goals they are not fully aware of, and who are used cynically by the leaders of the cause.
Useful idiot is a political term for misguided supporters of a cause.
Useful idiot may also refer to:
- "Useful Idiot", a song by band Tool from their 1996 album Ænima
- Useful Idiots, a novel by Jan Mark
- Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got It Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First, a book by Mona Charen
Usage examples of "useful idiot".
Listed as a useful idiot, I suppose, and in the opposition groupings -- I thought the ancient paranoids running the government were out of touch with reality, ossified.