feeble-minded

American

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

adjective

lacking the normal mental powers.
Medicine/Medical. (no longer in technical use) mentally deficient.
stupid or foolish; not sensible.

feeble-minded remarks.
Archaic. lacking firmness of mind; indecisive.

feeble-minded British

adjective

lacking in intelligence; stupid
mentally defective
lacking decision; irresolute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

feeble-mindedly adverb
feeble-mindedness noun

Etymology

Origin of feeble-minded

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

While many states had sterilisation plans targeted at "feeble-minded" people, North Carolina stands out for having widened its programme after World War II.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2013

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

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2011

When you do not speak, other people presume you to be deaf or feeble-minded and promptly make a show of their own limitations.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023