mooncalf

noun

moon·​calf ˈmün-ˌkaf 

-ˌkäf

: a foolish or absent-minded person : simpleton

he was a helpless mooncalf of a man, poorly equipped for a grueling life

—Peter Schjeldahl

Synonyms

• berk [British]
• booby
• charlie [British]
• charley
• cuckoo
• ding-a-ling
• ding-dong
• dingbat
• dipstick
• doofus [slang]
• featherhead
• fool
• git [British]
• goose
• half-wit
• jackass
• lunatic
• nincompoop
• ninny
• ninnyhammer
• nit [chiefly British]
• nitwit
• nut
• nutcase
• simp
• simpleton
• turkey
• yo-yo

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