moot

American  

[moot] / mut /

adjective

1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful.

   Whether that was the cause of their troubles is a moot point.

   Synonyms:

   unsettled, disputed, disputable

   Antonyms:

   indisputable

2. of little or no practical value, meaning, or relevance; purely academic.

   In practical terms, the issue of her application is moot because the deadline has passed.

3. Chiefly Law. not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.

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verb (used with object)

1. to present or introduce (any point, subject, project, etc.) for discussion.

   Synonyms:

   discuss, dispute, debate

   Antonyms:

   agree

2. to reduce or remove the practical significance of; make purely theoretical or academic.

3. Archaic. to argue (a case), especially in a mock court.

noun

1. an assembly of the people in early England exercising political, administrative, and judicial powers.

2. an argument or discussion, especially of a hypothetical legal case.

3. Obsolete. a debate, argument, or discussion.

moot British  

/ muːt /

adjective

1. subject or open to debate

   a moot point

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verb

1. (tr) to suggest or bring up for debate

2. (intr) to plead or argue theoretical or hypothetical cases, as an academic exercise or as vocational training for law students

noun

1. a discussion or debate of a hypothetical case or point, held as an academic activity

2. (in Anglo-Saxon England) an assembly, mainly in a shire or hundred, dealing with local legal and administrative affairs

Other Word Forms

• mooter noun
• mootness noun

Etymology

Origin of moot

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun mot(e) “meeting, assembly,” Old English gemōt; cognate with Old Norse mōt, Dutch gemoet “meeting”; meet ¹

Example Sentences

Her take is a maelstrom of splendid beauty and doomed love, colliding at a feverish pace that makes the fidelity to Brontë’s book moot.

From Salon

“It doesn’t matter. The question is moot,” Jackson intones, before launching into a miniature stump speech.

From Salon

But when he was first mooted for the role, in 2001, senior sources suggest that it was Charles who warned about his unsuitability.

From BBC

The new agency, along with a mooted new "spy prevention" law, has however raised some concerns.

From Barron's

More displays like this may make that contract end date a moot point.

From BBC

Related Words

• debatable
• problematic
• unresolved
• unsettled