However, those have also become offensive over time and were replaced with more appropriate terms in most discussions. The chart below comes from Google Ngram Viewer , and shows how the usage of each word has changed over the past years. The word idiot has been around for the longest time, dating back as far as the 14th century.
Imbecile is more recent, but it was originally only used as an adjective. Vote count:. No ratings so far! Be the first to rate this wisdom biscuit.
It depends. We're fine with that, but would like to point out that a certain contingent of go-to insults have a history of clinical use which makes them less desirable to use than others. Luckily, there are many more options. Idiot , imbecile , and moron were, not so long ago, used in a psychological classification system, and each one was assigned to a fairly specific range of abilities. Of these three words moron is the newest it dates to the early 20th century , and the only one coined specifically for the purpose of medical diagnosis.
Imbecile began its life in English in the 16th century as an adjective, and meant "weak, feeble" the word comes from the Latin imbecillus , "weak, weak-minded". It wasn't until the early 19th century that the word began to be used as a noun. Idiot , from the Greek idios "private" or "one's own" , is the oldest of these words, and has been in continual use since the 14th century. Over the years idiot has taken on a number of meanings, ranging from "an ignorant or unschooled person" to "jester, professional fool" to "Stimpy" of "Ren and" fame.
And since at least the 17th century the word has been used in theater in a colloquial insulting sense similar to how it is often heard today. Materials Needed: An IQ test would be helpful, but you can get by on just your wits—provided you have enough of them. People You Can Impress: Well, idiots and morons both, for starters. But also psychologists.
And you really, really need to impress psychologists, because—as you'll see—you really don't want them to think you're an idiot. Quick Trick: These days, the words are completely synonymous. But back in the dark days of psychology which is to say until about 30 years ago , there was a difference, and here's the quick trick psychologists used: Ask a question. A person who is notably stupid and frustrating or lacking in good judgment is a moron.
The term moron originated from the Ancient Greek word moros, meaning "dull" or "foolish". In the older times, it was observed that a moron is a stupid person with the mental age of between 7 to 12 years.
However, in modern times, it just refers to a person whom one finds doing stupid things and the activities that are very irritating. Moron may also refer to places, surname, song, book, etc.
A person who is lacking in cleverness, understanding or reasoning is stupid.
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