Meanings
plural room-temperature IQs · alternative room temperature IQ · alternative room temperature I.Q. · alternative room-temperature I.Q.
- broadlyderogatoryfigurativelyslangA dull or unintelligent mind.
It's the proverbial two-way street; treat a guide like he has more than a room-temperature IQ, and he'll do likewise.
1990 June, Jim Bashline, “An Honorable Profession”, in Field & Stream2 more examples
“The guy's got a room-temperature IQ. He dropped out of grade school. To him, DNA is probably just three letters.”
2000, Maggie Price, On Dangerous Ground, Silhouette Books, →ISBN“Sara? I need you to call Home Depot, see if you can get someone on the phone with at least a room-temperature IQ . . .”
2011, Gregg Loomis, The Coptic Secret, Dorchester Publishing, →ISBN, page 51
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA below average IQ.
Origin
A room-temperature IQ would be around 20 (Celsius) or 68 (Fahrenheit), both well below the average IQ of 100.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
room-temperature IQ. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/room-temperature%20IQ
“room-temperature IQ.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/room-temperature%20IQ. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “room-temperature IQ,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/room-temperature%20IQ.
Source: room-temperature IQ on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.