moron
noun
a person who is notably stupid or lacking in good judgment.
moron
1 American
[mawr-on]
/ ˈmɔr ɒn /
noun
-
morons
plural
-
Informal. a person who is notably stupid or lacking in good judgment.
I wonder why they elected that narrow-minded moron to Congress.
-
Psychology. (no longer in technical use; now considered offensive) a person of borderline intelligence in a former and discarded classification of intellectual disability, having an intelligence quotient of 50 to 69.
Morón
2
American
[maw-rohn, maw-rawn]
/ mɔˈroʊn, mɔˈrɔn /
noun
moron
British
/ mɒˈrɒnɪk, ˈmɔːrɒn /
noun
-
a foolish or stupid person
-
a person having an intelligence quotient of between 50 and 70, able to work under supervision
Usage
More context on moron Calling someone a moron is all in good fun, right? Not so much. While moron can sound like a simple schoolyard taunt, the term was originally used by psychologists to classify someone as having mild intellectual disabilities. What’s more, prominent psychologists, notably Henry H. Goddard, who used the label moron promoted eugenics. Moron is no longer in use as a medical term, and it’s offensive and ableist to equate someone you think is acting foolish to a person with a disability. If knowing the history of moron has got you reflecting on your word choices, this slideshow, "These Common Words Have Offensive Histories," discusses many other words whose place in your vocab you may want to reconsider.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of moron
An Americanism first recorded in 1905–10; from Greek mōrón, neuter of mōrós “foolish, dull”
Explanation
When your little brother does something that is both stupid and infuriating, you'll have to bite your tongue to keep from calling him a moron. A moron is an unkind way to describe someone who is foolish and unintelligent. The word moron was an official term in the early 1900s, used to describe a person of low intelligence — specifically, an "adult with a mental age between eight and twelve." It became a popular insult in the 1920s, and gradually stopped being used as a medical term, until moron was only an informal way to put someone down.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Plasencia, who mused in text messages to Chavez "I wonder how much this moron will pay," was jailed this month for two-and-a-half years.
From Barron's ● Dec. 16, 2025
A sweet moron, but a moron nonetheless, which is evident as soon as Pattinson starts squeaking banalities in a nasal gasp that sounds as though he’s never gotten enough oxygen to his brain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2025
According to the indictment, the two medical doctors exchanged texts conspiring over how much they could charge Perry for vials of the drug, with one message reading: "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2024
According to a court-filed document, text messages from Plasencia to Chavez read, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Let’s find out.”
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2024
Heidi puts her rain boots back on and looks me up and down, just like Libby did in my yard right before sending me off on my maiden moron voyage.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
Earlier in March, Sánchez said Spain had denied the US use of the two jointly run military bases at Rota and Morón, both in Andalusia.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
Alberto Echemendía, the head of the Communist Party in Morón, held a rally of “revolutionary reaffirmation” in front of the ransacked party headquarters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
“He’d told me Morón is known for a big rooster statue, and there it was!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
An emergency brigade traveled from the military base of Morón, in southern Spain, to join more than 300 firefighters and 41 water-dropping aircraft battling the flames.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2021
Its forces are based in Morón, Spain, and Sigonella, Italy, but are focused on Africa.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2015
“You can either have traders with a conflict of interest, or morons with no conflict of interest,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
The leader of Dundee City Council said he was "incredibly angry" about the latest incidents and branded those involved "morons".
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2023
The Luddites were not, per popular mythology, anti-technology morons who smashed machines because they did not understand them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
That doesn’t mean that the novel is devoid of conflict, or that the book’s foursome are love-silly morons without a care in the world.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 16, 2023
“You’ll find in life, Caden, that many decisions are made by morons in high places.”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
