as in fool
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
he was a helpless mooncalf when it came to making decisions about even the most trivial things
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Recent Examples of mooncalf
Assholes can make great music, as can liars, hypocrites, mooncalves, illiterates, teenagers, and borderline personalities, but right-wingers cannot.
—
Rob Tannenbaum, The Cut, 23 June 2017
Rob Tannenbaum, The Cut, 23 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooncalf
Noun
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Don't let the simple name of this recipe fool you—this casserole is surprisingly complex.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
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My group Unleash Prosperity warned repeatedly during the Biden years that the auto industry was sowing the seeds of its own destruction by getting hooked on the fool’s profits of taxpayer handouts for EVs.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Even then, though, the popular take — the story of the lunatics taking over asylum — didn’t sit right with me.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Beating these lunatics was incredible, right?—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Decathlon’s 800-fill duck down is still high-loft, but costs less than the more expensive goose down.—
Maggie Slepian,
Outside,
27 Feb. 2026
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What’s fair for the goddamn goose.—
Jesse Dorris,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Because Sidney Prescott, now Evans, exists only in relationship to Ghostface, the costume worn by many different knife-wielding maniacs over the years, starting with her high school boyfriend.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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Many Americans believe White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland-security adviser Stephen Miller is a cruel, ruthless maniac intent on turning the country into an authoritarian ethno-state.—
John Ficarra,
Air Mail,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This drunk moron — quite different from his character in the novel — bears a ton of blame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Everyone in the imperium knows the emperor is a nincompoop—and yet no one wants to go out on a limb to criticize him.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
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Korda has declared that, because his nine sons are, frankly, nincompoops and rapscallions, Liesl will be the sole heir to his fortune.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2025
Noun
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Fiber-rich whole grains, nuts, and lean proteins can help maintain a healthy body weight, which may ease pressure on the airway during sleep, and reduce sleep apnea episodes.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
27 Feb. 2026
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Other sources of fat include oil, nuts, and seeds.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mooncalf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooncalf. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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