moron

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ˈmɔrɑn/ UK /ˈmɔːrɒn/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a foolish or stupid person

Only a moron would text while driving.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a foolish or stupid person fool idiot imbecile dolt dunce blockhead

Opposites

genius sage

Word family

Derived forms moronicmoronism

Simplified etymology

Moron comes from Greek mōron, the neuter form of mōros “foolish.” Its early-20th-century use was as a medical term for an adult considered to have a mental age of about eight to twelve.

Etymology

Coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from Ancient Greek mōron, neuter of mōros ('dull, stupid, foolish').

mōros Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# moron

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmɔrɑn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmɔːrɒn/

## Meanings
1. a foolish or stupid person

## Examples
- Only a moron would text while driving.

## Synonyms
- fool
- idiot
- imbecile
- dolt
- dunce
- blockhead

## Antonyms
- genius
- sage

## Derived Forms
- moronic
- moronism

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: mōros

## Etymology
Coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from Ancient Greek mōron, neuter of mōros ('dull, stupid, foolish').

## AI Etymology
Moron is traced through this development: Coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from Ancient Greek mōron, neuter of mōros ('dull, stupid, foolish'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun, it denotes "a foolish or stupid person", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Ancient Greek mōros. Derivative forms include moronic, moronism.

## Topics
- People & Society

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