-
Kevin
-
August 19, 2024
-
Common Questions
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
An American author named James McGregor once said, “Geniuses don’t become geniuses until they find the right moron to compare themselves to.” This is a thought-provoking quote, but what exactly does the word moron mean? We’ll tell you.
This article explores the word moron (/ˈmɔːr.ɑːn/ /ˈmɔːrɒn/ /ˈmɔrɑn/ /ˈmōr-ˌän/) to uncover its definition, origin, proper usage, and more. So if you’ve ever wondered what it means when someone calls you a moron — keep reading.
What Is the Definition of Moron?
According to the Collins American English Dictionary, the noun moron (pronounced mawr-on) is an informal term for someone who lacks judgment or is noticeably stupid. Though it is no longer used and is considered by many to be offensive, it was first coined as an official medical term.
As a medical term, our word of the day was used to describe a person of borderline intelligence, specifically an adult with a genetically determined mental age ranging from 7 to 12.
What Is the Etymology of Moron?
Moron was first coined in the early 20th century as a medical term denoting an adult with a low intelligence by psychologist Henry H. Goddard — though today, this is considered a derogatory term and offensive.
Moron derives from the Greek mōron, neuter of mōros (μωρός) — which literally means foolish, dull, stupid.
What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Moron?
As we dive deeper into the in’s and out’s of our word of the day, let’s now look to a thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms of moron.
First off, what are synonyms and antonyms? Simply put, they are like (synonyms) or opposite words (antonyms) of our original words.
By learning what a word is and what it isn’t, we can better memorize the actual definition of our keyword.
With this in mind, you will find synonyms and antonyms of moron that have been provided by the Collins English Language Thesaurus listed below. Test yourself and see how many you knew off the top of your head!
What Are Synonyms of Moron?
- Imbecile
- Idiot
- Cretin
- Halfwit
- Stupid person
- Blockhead
- Feeble mind
- Deficient
- Pain in the neck
- Dimwit
- Dolt
- Dunce
- Feeblemindedness
- Simpleton
- Dullard
- Pain in the bum
- Dingleberry
- Dingbat
- Knucklehead
- Nincompoop
- Ignoramus
- Nitwit
- Dummy
- Pain in the rear
- Doofus
- Clown
- Lunkhead
- Knobhead
- Lummox
- Ding dong
- Pea brain
- Dum dum
- Buffoon
- Tomfool
- Foolish person
- Bumpkin
- Dumb ox
- Scatterbrain
What Are Antonyms of Moron?
- Brain
- Genius
- Sage
- Intellectual
- Rocket scientist
- Einstein
- Sage
- Scholar
- Polymath
- Thinker
- Intelligent person
- Gifted Child
- Smartypants
- Pandit
- Savant
- Wiseacre
- Smart-aleck
- Wise person
- Man of learning
- Learned person
- Wise woman
- Wise man
- Brainbox
- Brainiac
- Whiz kid
- Know it all
- Mental giant
- Bookman
- Academic
- Intellectualist
How Can You Use Moron in a Sentence?
Now that you’re better acquainted with the meaning behind our word of the day, you might wonder how to use it in a sentence. Here are a few sentence examples for you to review below:
If you ask me, the morons in Congress need to be voted out.
So I was just minding my own business, cruising down the I-5, when some moron smashed into the back of my truck yesterday!
Don’t be a moron; put your right shoe on your right foot and your left shoe on your left foot.
Our moron waiter put salt in my tea when clearly I asked for sugar.
My brother — aka the family moron — had a great idea this morning to get a pet kangaroo, stating we could also use it for transportation.
Uncle Terry told us that he likes to look at his IQ test as though he was scoring golf, and that makes sense with test scores like his.
After my dad called me a moron for dropping out of college, I decided to start my own business.
It’s not nice to call people a moron so you need to apologize to your friend.
Mary called Tony a moron after he flunked the vocab test.
Tiffany really had her guard up, causing John to wonder if some moron had just dumped her.
Sorry, I really shouldn’t be calling people morons. I am just really frustrated.
They looked at me as a stupid moron who doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong.
Please don’t belittle me. I am a respected scientist, not a moron.
Just because your toddler doesn’t know his ABC’s doesn’t make him a moron. He’s just a slow learner!
I felt like a total moron after failing the driving quiz three times in a row.
Some moron hit my car yesterday and drove off.
If you ask me, they were all acting like a bunch of morons.
My mom doesn’t let me say the words stupid or moron.
What Are Translations of Moron?
Wondering how to say moron in a different language? We have you covered. Here are some common translations of the word moron for you to study below:
- Afrikaans — moroon
- Arabic — أحمق
- Chinese (Simplified) — 白痴
- Croatian — duševno zaostao
- Czech — debil
- Danish — tåbe
- Dutch — idioot
- Finnish — pölkkypää
- French — crétin
- German — Idiot
- Greek — βλάκας
- Italian — idiota
- Japanese — 低能者
- Korean — 바보
- Norwegian — idiot
- Polish — kretyn
- Portuguese — burro
- Russian — дебил
- Spanish — imbécil
- Swedish — idiot
- Thai — คนปัญญาอ่อน
- Turkish — geri zekâlı
- Ukrainian — Морон
- Vietnamese — người ngu
Conclusion
The word moron was originally a medical term way back in the early 1900s and until the late 1920s. That said, moron is now most commonly used as an unkind way to describe someone who is unintelligent and downright foolish.
Sources:
Moron definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
