When we say trivia for adults, your mind may jump to all sorts of unsavory categories and topics. And while we're sure there are plenty of amazing questions in those genres, that's not what we put together here.
Instead, you can think of these questions and answers as things that kids probably don't know the answer too. So if you're tired of Dr. Seuss trivia, us here at Water Cooler Trivia are happy to help.
Whether you're looking for adult trivia to challenge yourself or you're creating a game for other adults, we think you'll find these questions fun and helpful.
Plus, we've put them in order from easiest to hardest to make them even more useful.
Good luck!
101 Trivia Questions for Adults Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- Known for its "Twelve Steps" and “Twelve Traditions” guidelines for keeping clean, Bill Wilson and Robert Holbrook Smith founded what alliterative support group in 1935, which launched one of its first meetings in Akron, Ohio?
Answer: Alcoholics Anonymous
- Located in Vermont, what was the first U.S. city to provide its residents with 100% sustainable energy production that shares its name with a famous Coat Factory founded in 1972?
Answer: Burlington
- If you rearrange the letters of “Tom has no ideas,” you’ll get the first name, surname, and middle initial of what inventor with plenty of bright ideas?
Answer: Thomas A Edison
- Pro-war politicos, swooping Eli Moscowitz on "Cobra Kai," and Atlanta's NBA team share the distinction of being referred to by what four-letter bird of prey?
Answer: Hawk
- Which of the world's 25 largest retail companies was founded by a 17-year-old Swede named Ingvar Kamprad?
Answer: IKEA
- Though the opening credits feature Alamo Square Park's Painted Ladies, "Comet's Excellent Adventure" was the only episode of "Full House" shot on location in what West Coast city where the show was set?
Answer: San Francisco
- Fill in the blank with the missing fashion brand from this iconic Marilyn Monroe quote. When asked what she wore to bed each evening, she replied “Five drops of ______ No. 5.”
Answer: Chanel
- “You go to your closet and you select…I don’t know…that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back.” That’s one of many famous quotes from Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly in what 2006 fashionably diabolical film?
Answer: The Devil Wears Prada
- We reckon that Michelle Obama would have something to say about it! But which First Lady, in office during the Bay of Pigs Invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis, is known as being the gold standard for White House fashion?
Answer: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
- In what 1987 movie does Baby Houseman fall in love with her dance instructor? We're looking for a two-word answer here.
Answer: Dirty Dancing
- France shares a land border with what country that also immediately follows it on an alphabetical list of the English names of E.U. nations?
Answer: Germany
- A Washington, DC museum that includes a replica of the city of Nazareth is dedicated to what book that's sold a whole lotta copies?
Answer: The Bible
- Which cocktail that originates in Puerto Rico has a name that translates as “strained pineapple?”
Answer: Piña colada
- Pretty much just Scots Gaelic for John, what first name is shared by James Bond creator Fleming, Joy Division lead singer Curtis, and Magneto and Gandalf portrayer McKellen?
Answer: Ian
- What classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is based on the real-life story of the Von Trapp Family Singers, a musical group that escaped Austria as the Nazis began to arrive?
Answer: The Sound of Music
- Typically, there are four gemstones that are considered "precious." Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and what fourth stone?
Answer: Emeralds
- According to Guinness, the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction went for more than $6 million, and was played on "MTV Unplugged" in November 1993 by what late Nirvana frontman?
Answer: Kurt Cobain
- Patrick Dempsey grew up in humble Lewiston, Maine before playing Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd on what steamy surgical show?
Answer: Grey's Anatomy
- Now at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, what famous painting featuring a deep blue evening sky depicts Vincent Van Gogh's view from a window in a mental health asylum?
Answer: Starry Night
- What is the name for the very long mattress that's a full four inches longer than a standard king size bed? The name of this item also happens to be the name of a Rihanna song released in 2010.
Answer: California King Bed
- The "ice bucket challenge" went viral in the summer of 2014 and it promoted awareness for a disease associated with a professional athlete. What is the initialism for the disease?
Answer: ALS
- Which artist, known for his 'Joy of Painting,' afro, and happy little clouds, drew inspiration from his time in Alaska while serving in the US Air Force? We're looking for first and last names.
Answer: Bob Ross
- Now that’s some high quality H2O! What’s the common name for the chemical substance dihydrogen monoxide?
Answer: Water
- Practiced in the cultures of India, China, Persia, Sumeria and more for centuries but now roundly considered pseudoscience, the practice of chiromancy is the studying of the lines and lines of what body part?
Answer: Palm
- Considered a loan word from Greek, what is the difficult-to-spell name of the dip or sauce made of strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and other seasonings? It is most often served cold as part of an appetizer.
Answer: Tzatziki
- The Presidential Physical Fitness test (active in the United States from 1966 to 2018) consisted of six exercises: curl-ups, pull-ups, shuttle run, one-mile run, sit-and-reach, and what exercise that draws on the pectoral muscles?
Answer: Push-ups
- Though they didn't exactly do dream pop, a physical condition during dream states lent its name to what "Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts" band?
Answer: R.E.M.
- Sings A Tad Better is a handy mnemonic for remembering the highest to lowest vocal ranges in a four-part harmony. That "S" in "Sings" stands for what vocal range?
Answer: Soprano
- At the 1901 Minnesota State Fair, President Theodore Roosevelt gave a famous speech in which he strongly advocated: " speak softly and carry a big ______." What word fills in the blank?
Answer: Stick
- The Waldorf salad was named for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NYC where it was first created for a charity ball in 1896. What is the nut which is typically a key ingredient in the Waldorf salad?
Answer: Walnut
- If the Biblical character who was swallowed by a whale was the namesake of a raised area of land smaller than a mountain, that location would maybe the be namesake of what actor, co-star of “The Wolf Of Wall Street?”
Answer: Jonah Hill
- In Article IV, the U.S. Constitution requires that convicted criminals caught in one state can be sent back to the state where the crime occurred. What is the "E" term for this type of legal action?
Answer: Extradition
- Originally intended for better seat cushioning and as crash protection, memory foam was invented in the 1970s by what U.S. government agency with a lot of engineers to spare?
Answer: NASA
- Celebrated with tequila and sombreros by many Americans, Cinco De Mayo actually commemorates the not--so-boozy defeat of the French by what nation at the 1862 Battle of Puebla?
Answer: Mexico
- One strategy for assessing business operations is using SWOT analysis, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, ______, and Threats.
Answer: Opportunities
- The instantly recognizable see-through, hexagonal design is a hallmark of the Cristal pen, an inexpensive ballpoint model made by what company?
Answer: Bic
- As defined by chef Auguste Escoffier, the five "mother sauces" of French cooking are béchamel, espagnole, tomate, velouté, and what fifth sauce, which is commonly featured in Eggs Benedict?
Answer: Hollandaise
- What credit card company adopted a gladiator or centurion into their logo in 1958? Although the image has taken less prominence in the brand over time, it still appears on the company's traveler's cheques, charge cards and credit cards.
Answer: American Express
- What alcoholic spirit is found in all three of these cocktails: Gimlet, Aviation, and Tom Collins?
Answer: Gin
- What “L” word is used to describe a dream where the sleeper is aware that they are in a dream, sometimes able to affect in-dream events?
Answer: Lucid
- The "Real Housewives" reality TV franchise documents the lives of affluent housewives and began with the "Real Housewives" of what California county?
Answer: Orange County
- What multisyllabic "G" word is used to describe the practice establishing a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries?
Answer: Gerrymandering
- What tear-inducing satire news site was founded by two students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1988?
Answer: The Onion
- Ranked by Rolling Stone as #20 on the list of greatest guitarists of all time, whose guitar playing can be heard on songs like "Oye Como Va," "Smooth," and "Black Magic Woman?"
Answer: Carlos Santana
- The phrase "jump the shark" originates from what TV series that ran from 1974 to 1984 and featured characters like Richie Cunningham and The Fonz?
Answer: Happy Days
- On September 11, 2001, Raekwon was in a hotel eight blocks from the World Trade Center after a night of recording with what hip hop group that has the same initials as World Trade Center?
Answer: Wu-Tang Clan
- First used all the way back in the 1800s, and coming from the Dutch term "free booter," what is the common political term for a delaying tactic?
Answer: Filibuster
- Sam Malone and Diane Chambers are two of the main characters in what American sitcom television series that earned a top-ten rating during eight of its 11 seasons?
Answer: Cheers
- Focusing on Big Apple ball culture, the 1990 doc "Paris Is Burning" popularized what pose-striking dance that shares a name with a magazine?
Answer: Vogue
- There's an expression in English often referring to hangovers that originally comes from a Scottish belief that placing a few follicles from a canine on a rabid bite can be a treatment. What is this expression which shares its name with a brewery in Portland?
Answer: Hair of the Dog
- Room 214 of what Washington, DC hotel has been converted to "The Scandal Room," with decor that includes newspaper headlines about Richard Nixon's resignation?
Answer: The Watergate Hotel
- Singapore started booming as a trading post after the 1869 opening of what Mediterranean to Red Sea-connecting canal?
Answer: Suez Canal
- Established on November 11, 1926 and stretching 2,448 miles across the United States, what famous highway is also known as the Will Rogers Memorial Highway?
Answer: Route 66
- The question stinks! I'll give you some chemical elements in order, and you add their chemical symbols together to spell the five-letter answer. Iron + Carbon + Aluminum = A type of matter
Answer: Fecal
- A hazy-looking Claude Monet painting of a sunset spawned the name of what blurry 19th-century art movement that anagrams to PROMISES MINIS?
Answer: Impressionism
- George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross and Eriq La Salle as Dr. Peter Benton were among the many medical professional characters on what TV series that ran from 1994 to 2009?
Answer: ER
- What “A” two-word capital of the United Arab Emirates is known for its oil exports and its massive skyscrapers? Its name is literally Arabic for “Father Of Gazelle.”
Answer: Abu Dhabi
- A do-it yourself tornado kit, earthquake pills, iron bird seed, a jet-propelled pogo stick, and anvils are all objects sold by what fictional company?
Answer: Acme
- A Latin word for a type of cake gives us the name of what temporary, nutrient-rich fetal organ?
Answer: Placenta
- Inflammable air was Henry Cavendish's original name for what element that translates more aptly to "water maker?"
Answer: Hydrogen
- Heineken owns Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery, the parent company of what beer repped by "The Most Interesting Man in the World"?
Answer: Dos Equis
- Talk about a reformer! What “P” word is the last name of 20th century German physical trainer Joseph, who invented (and named after himself!) a type of mind-body exercise that requires core stability?
Answer: Pilates
- Moe from The Three Stooges had one. It regained popularity in the U.S. for straight hair textures in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I'm talking about a mushroom cut, AKA a style named for what piece of dinnerware?
Answer: Bowl cut
- Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' and "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" are songs from what classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical named after a U.S. state?
Answer: Oklahoma!
- What is the somewhat-logical term for the internet prank and meme in which an unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up" is "planted" into an unrelated link? The meme's popularity dates back to 2008.
Answer: Rickrolling
- What Utah university was named the most sober in the nation for 2014 by the Princeton Review?
Answer: Brigham Young (BYU)
- In one of SNL's most famous sketches ever, instead of aspirin or ibuprofen Bruce Dickinson prescribes "more cowbell" to cure what F-word condition otherwise known as pyrexia?
Answer: Fever
- A cool $250,000 buys a VIP night including Jay-Z branded champagne and the right to control the famous fountains of what Las Vegas Strip hotel?
Answer: The Bellagio
- The podcasts "Fresh Air", "Planet Money", and "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" are all produced by what non-profit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.?
Answer: NPR (National Public Radio)
- Babyland General Hospital was the "birthplace" of what line of collectible dolls that was a huge hit in the 1980s and included an individual birth certificate for each doll?
Answer: Cabbage Patch Kids
- The Kentucky Derby's traditional mint julep recipe calls for mint, sugar, water, and what type (not brand) of whiskey famously distilled in the Bluegrass State, not France?
Answer: Bourbon
- If you’re borrowing money to finance your business and you want to know how much interest you’ll pay on it in a year, look for the APR. What is APR an acronym for?
Answer: Annual Percentage Rate
- What "three-ish" alcohol is missing from the following list of alcoholic ingredients of a typical Long Island Iced Tea: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and what?
Answer: Triple Sec
- Silly British English. When it comes to currency, they use the term pounds. So, when it comes to bodily weight, they use what metric which equals 14 pounds?
Answer: Stone
- Famous for being in the freshly murdered grip of Wild Bill Hickok, a dead man's hand in poker is a pair of eights and a pair of what high cards?
Answer: Aces
- “Hold my closer, tiny dancer” are some of the most misheard song lyrics of all time, with some believing that Elton John, in lieu of a diminutive terpsichorean, actually was referring to what television actor from “Taxi” and “Who’s the Boss?”
Answer: Tony Danza
- What is the four-letter name for a fragment sometimes created when holes are made in a paper or card? The "hanging" variety of this common noun became a hot topic during the 2000 U.S. Presidential election in the state of Florida.
Answer: Chad
- What "sweet" Canadian actor and comedian rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City, starred in major movies like "Uncle Buck," and died of a heart attack in Mexico at the age of 43?
Answer: John Candy
- The United States Playing Card Company owns one of the most famous brands in playing cards, a brand name chosen to reflect the popularity of a late 19th century mode of transportation. The namesake brand is displayed on the Ace of Spades in each deck. What is this brand?
Answer: Bicycle
- Passing free-rein leadership and decision-making to subordinates is a leadership style that shares what French name with a non-interventionist economic system?
Answer: Laissez-faire
- Richard Hatch, Tina Wesson, Ethan Zohn, and Vecepia Towery were the first four winners of what reality TV show that premiered on CBS in 2000? The original Swedish version of the show had debuted three years earlier.
Answer: Survivor
- Featuring works by Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya, and others, the Prado is a world-famous museum located in what capital city?
Answer: Madrid
- Over 100 years ago, an Italian physician created a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children. The approach is used in schools around the world under what name?
Answer: Montessori
- A Frankfurt doctor was told by a patient "I have lost myself" and he observed and studied her over a period of five years. This patient became the basis for his paper and lecture in 1906 which ultimately led to his name being associated with what disease?
Answer: Alzheimer's
- Take your time with this one! Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart made up the power trio of what Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band whose most famous tracks include “Tom Sawyer,” “The Spirit of Radio,” and “Closer To The Heart?”
Answer: Rush
- Running on Broadway from 2005 to 2017, what musical tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and features songs like "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry?"
Answer: Jersey Boys
- The Sealed Air Corporation has made many millions of dollars through what trademarked shipping support aid that was first created in 1957?
Answer: Bubble wrap
- What TV show about a middle-class NYC housewife innovated in the following ways? The first scripted television program shot on 35mm film in front of a studio audience, the first show to feature an ensemble cast. The show was voted the "Best TV Show of All Time" in a 2012 survey conducted by ABC News and People magazine.
Answer: I Love Lucy
- What type of bird is the subject of a discussion between King Arthur and the bridge-keeper in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail?" Both African and European varieties of the bird were mentioned repeatedly. The bird shares its name with a physical act performed in part by the medulla oblongata in humans.
Answer: Swallow
- What large real estate franchise, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, has the largest hot air balloon fleet in the world?
Answer: Remax
- Paul William Bryant was born in Moro Bottom, Arkansas as the 11th of 12 children. He reached football stardom as a six-time national champion coach at the University of Alabama. What was Bryant's alliterative, mammalian nickname?
Answer: Bear Bryant
- A Dark 'n' Stormy cocktail is a bar staple in many countries, including England and Bermuda. To make it, one mixes rum with what kind of spiced carbonated beverage? Hint: We're looking for TWO words here.
Answer: Ginger Beer
- What outdoorswear apparel company founded in Boston in 1952 is known mostly for its footwear? Its "Yellow Boot" collection has become a global pop culture icon.
Answer: Timberland
- What 20th century American serial killer was known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster?
Answer: Jeffey Dahmer
- Now this question ought to be juicy! French for “high sewing,” what is the two-word term that refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing by hand from start to finish?
Answer: Haute Couture
- Longtime Boston Celtics coach and executive Arnold Jacob Auerbach was a basketball pioneer who is credited with the invention of the fast break. Ironically, despite being associated with the Celtics, what was Auerbach's colorful nickname?
Answer: Red Auerbach
- What is the nickname of retired professional golfer Jack Nicklaus? Its origin goes back to the mascot of his high school in Upper Arlington, Ohio and it is incorporated into his brand's logo.
Answer: The Golden Bear
- When JFK decided against running for his House of Representatives seat in 1952 in order to run for the U.S. Senate, fellow Massachusettsan Tip O'Neill said "All politics is ______" and subsequently won and kept the seat for over 30 years. What word fills in the blank?
Answer: Local
- What 19th century “D” French photographer gives his name to a process of photography, a slow dissolve of gas on a sheet of silver-plated copper?
Answer: Daguerre
- There's a town in the Peloponnese region of Greece with a namesake food item known for its purple color and smooth meaty texture. What is this fruit?
Answer: Kalamata Olive
- In 1965, “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1983 and 1999, two other songs whose title is a word repeated three times reached #1. Name one of them.
Answer: Bills, Bills, Bills or Say, Say, Say
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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