imbecility

[ im-buh-sil-i-tee ]
See synonyms for imbecility on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural im·be·cil·i·ties.
  1. an instance or point of weakness; feebleness; incapability.

  2. stupidity; silliness; absurdity.

  1. an instance of stupidity, silliness, or absurdity.

  2. Psychology. (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) an intellectual disability, previously classified in a now obsolete rubric of developmental disorders as having a mental age of seven or eight years and an intelligence quotient of 25 to 50.

Origin of imbecility

1
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English inbecillite, from Middle French imbecil(l)ite and Latin imbēcillitāt-, stem of imbēcillitās “weakness”; see imbecile, -ity

Words Nearby imbecility

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use imbecility in a sentence

  • He did not anticipate that there would be any other outbreak of violence, or anything more than a partial imbecility.

    Julian Home | Dean Frederic W. Farrar
  • They were induced also to do this by the imbecility of the kings who succeeded each other on the thrones of Syria and Cilicia.