Moriori

noun

Mo·​ri·​o·​ri ˌmȯr-ē-ˈȯr-ē 

plural Moriori or Morioris

1

: a member of a Polynesian people native to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand

2

: the Polynesian language of the Moriori people

Examples of Moriori in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Having fled many conflicts on Aotearoa, the Moriori adopted a social code known as Nunuku’s Law, which established a society of non-violence, communal decision making and resource management. — Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025

Ancestors of the Rēkohu Shelduck arrived on the islands 390,000 years ago, and went extinct after Moriori settlement around 1500. — Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

New Zealand enacted a government program called Karanga Aotearoa in 1990 to retrieve and repatriate the remains of its indigenous people, the country’s Māori, and the Moriori who inhabit the Chatham Islands. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 14 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Maori

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Moriori

• aurore
• forbore
• outlawry
• pylori
• savoury
• signori
• signory
• vainglory
• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory