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
/ 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
Elon Musk has called President Donald Trump's trade adviser, Peter Navarro, a "moron" over comments he made about his electric vehicle firm, Tesla.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 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
You would have had to be a moron, Massry said, not to notice that Trump merchandise gets major attention.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2024
I was the eighteen-year-old moron starting all over again at a new high school.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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
“We are all Morón now,” said independent journalist Yoani Sanchez, who posted a video of the protest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
Cuba hosted the tournament and it was played in the same town, Morón, where Fernando grew up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
In the coastal town of Morón, dozens of people waded knee-deep in garbage at a large dump, looking for food and recyclables to sell.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2017
The concept was field-tested as South Sudan plunged into civil war and 160 Marines and sailors from Morón were forward deployed to Djibouti in late 2013.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2015
The picture above was taken by a man who posted on social media about "morons on electric bikes" scaring a nearby horse, external as they rode illegally on public footpaths.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“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
In a recent interview, Narvy said that when Haim saw the characters, he said: “These guys are morons … I want them in every show.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 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
What they did, though, the three of them, when I did it, they started giggling like morons.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
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