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.
a foolish or stupid person
a person having an intelligence quotient of between 50 and 70, able to work under supervision
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.
An Americanism first recorded in 1905–10; from Greek mōrón, neuter of mōrós “foolish, dull”
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
That night, I learned later, some moron had driven his truck into Salem Harbor and that Dad was called to the accident scene to help fish him out.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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
Until now, protests have been peaceful, but it remains to be seen whether the incident in Morón will be an inflection point.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
Betis lost defender Álex Moreno to Arsenal and forward Loren Morón to Las Palmas, but it signed former Leicester forward Ayoze Pérez.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2023
Cuba hosted the tournament and it was played in the same town, Morón, where Fernando grew up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
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
“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 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
The rest of us need the laugh, and we can truly see them for the morons they are.
From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2022
“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.
