moro-, mor-, -moria

Melancholia; a condition characterized by severe depression as manifested by loss of pleasure in all activities; including early morning awakening, marked agitation or retardation, severe anorexia with weight loss, and excessive or inappropriate guilt feelings.

1. A rarely used term denoting foolishness or dullness of comprehension.
2. Dullness of mind; mental lethargy.
3. Another rarely used term for a mental state marked by frivolity, joviality, an inveterate tendency to jest, and inability to take anything seriously.
4. An abnormal tendency to joke, particularly inappropriately.

Divination by interpreting imbecility or through nonsense; divination of the foolishness of someone.

1. A term for a mentally deficient person whose mental age is equivalent to that of someone between eight and twelve years of age; subnormal intelligence; in England, called, a dullard.
2. Informally, a "stupid" person; a dolt.
3. Someone who is considered to be notably stupid or lacking in good judgment.
4. In psychology, a person of borderline intelligence in a former classification of mental retardation, having an intelligence quotient of 50 to 69; feeble-minded.

The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.

Though a psychological, clinical, and medical term, it is often used as a pejorative term against someone of low intelligence; or even, as just a general pejorative.

Most of those who are clinically classified as being morons are considered to be educable and do not require institutionalization but need some supervision in working at some simple job by which they can become "self-sustaining" members of society.

1. Having a mental age of between eight and twelve years.
2. Disapproving; such as: "a moronic grin" or "She made some very monronic suggestions."

The term "mental retardation" has often replaced "moronic" and is now used in technical or scientific contexts. In North America, the broad term "developmental delay" has become an increasingly preferred synonym by many parents and caregivers.

1. An adverb describing actions that are considered to be of subnormal intellectual behavior; half-wittedly, idiotically, retardly.
2. Describing an activity which is lacking in intelligence or common sense.

A mildly mentally retarded condition or behavior.

A mild mental retardation.

A learned fool.

1. A phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together for special effect; such as, "deafening silence","wise fool", or "legal murder".
2. A figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”

From Greek, ὀξύμωρον (oxymoron), from ὀξύς (oxys, "sharp") plus μωρός (moros, "stupid"). Also explained as, oxymoron, noun use of the adjective oxymoros, "pointedly foolish", from oxys "sharp" plus moros "stupid."

A rhetorical figure by which contradictory terms are conjoined so as to give a special point to a statement or expression; the word itself is an illustration of the term being presented. Now it is often used loosely to mean "a contradiction in terms."

1. A second-year student in a U.S. college or a tenth-grade student in a U.S. high school.
2. A person in the second year of carrying out an endeavor.
3. Probably by influence of folk etymology; derivation from Greek sophos "wise" plus moros "foolish, mentally dull".

1. Of or characteristic of a sophomore or sophomores.
2. Exhibiting great immaturity and lack of judgment: such as, "sophomoric behavior".
3. Suggestive of or resembling the traditional sophomore; intellectually pretentious, overconfident, conceited, etc., but immature: "He often asks sophomoric questions."