feeble-minded

American  

[fee-buhl-mahyn-did] / ˈfi bəlˈmaɪn dɪd /

adjective

1. lacking the normal mental powers.

2. Medicine/Medical. (no longer in technical use) mentally deficient.

3. stupid or foolish; not sensible.

   feeble-minded remarks.

4. Archaic. lacking firmness of mind; indecisive.

---

feeble-minded British  

adjective

1. lacking in intelligence; stupid

2. mentally defective

3. lacking decision; irresolute

---

Other Word Forms

• feeble-mindedly adverb
• feeble-mindedness noun

Etymology

Origin of feeble-minded

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

In other instances, it could be due to a "sick-leader syndrome," in which dolphins unwittingly follow an older, confused and feeble-minded dolphin to their death.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2022

So they got her declared epileptic and feeble-minded; she was neither… She’d been doing perfectly well in school.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2016

The character of Yankel, Lazarus’s feeble-minded brother, was also invested with the power to heal.

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2011

"They talk about her as being feeble-minded as a child and that she'd grow out of it - so perhaps a learning disability as we understand it," says Dinesh Bhugra.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2010

Then one night, after I watched a movie about men in black hats with guns and feeble-minded horses, a different show came on.

From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate