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”; see meet ¹

Explanation

When a point is moot, it's too trivial to think about. If your basketball team loses by 40 points, the bad call by the official in the first quarter is moot: it isn't important. Though moot can mean to debate endlessly without any clear decision or to think about something carefully, it most often describes ideas and arguments that don't really matter. If your plane is crashing, whether or not your socks match is a moot point. When someone accuses you of making a moot point, he's basically saying, "Come on! Let's talk about what's important." As with so many things, people don't always agree on what's moot and what's not.

Example Sentences

But the law was meant to have a second benefit: The attorney general could argue that the previous challenge to Tennessee’s law was now moot because patients could get all the care they needed.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

“Thousands of hours of labor from a variety of professionals have just been made moot because of Judge Murphy’s decision,” said Malone, who was appointed by Kennedy in June.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Despite the 1-0 win over Stuttgart proving moot in Celtic's quest to reach the last 16 of the Europa League after a 4-1 home loss, it could yet prove significant.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

That vote is now essentially moot, and attention shifts to securing shareholder approval for the Paramount deal instead.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

“So, are you still going on your college tour, or is that kind of moot now?”

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Related Words

• debatable
• problematic
• unresolved
• unsettled