mooncalf

noun

moon·​calf Ë?mĂĽn-ËŚkaf How to pronounce mooncalf (audio)
-ˌkäf
Synonyms of mooncalfnext
: a foolish or absent-minded person : simpleton
he was a helpless mooncalf of a man, poorly equipped for a grueling life—Peter Schjeldahl

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of mooncalf in a Sentence

he was a helpless mooncalf when it came to making decisions about even the most trivial things

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mooncalf was in 1614

Dictionary Entries Near mooncalf

Mooncake Festival

mooncalf

mooncraft

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Mooncalf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mooncalf. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
yorkshire terrier dressed up as a doctor
A Visit with the Word Doctor: Medical Terms Quiz Give your vocabulary a checkup