imbecile

[ im-buh-sil, -suhl or, especially British, -seel ]

/ ˈɪm bə sɪl, -səl or, especially British, -ˌsil /

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See synonyms for: imbecile / imbecilic on Thesaurus.com

noun

Informal. a dunce; blockhead; dolt: Don't stand there like an imbecile. Open the door!

Psychology. (no longer in technical use; now considered offensive) a person of the second order in a former and discarded classification of intellectual disability, above the level of idiocy, having a mental age of seven or eight years and an intelligence quotient of 25 to 50.

adjective

Informal. stupid; silly; absurd.

Usually Offensive. showing mental feebleness or incapacity.

Archaic. weak or feeble.

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Origin of imbecile

First recorded in 1540–50; earlier imbecill, from Latin imbēcillus “weak”; -ile replacing -ill by confusion with suffix -ile

OTHER WORDS FROM imbecile

im·be·cil·ic, adjectiveim·be·cile·ly, adverb

Words nearby imbecile

IMarE, imaret, Imari ware, IMAX, imbalance, imbecile, imbecilic, imbecility, imbed, imbibe, imbibition

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use imbecile in a sentence

He pointed to unvaccinated people who are “clogging” up overwhelmed hospitals, calling them “imbeciles” and “nut jobs” and suggesting that doctors and nurses not treat those who have not taken a coronavirus vaccine.
Howard Stern blasts unvaccinated Americans, casting vaccine mandate as ‘freedom to live’|Timothy Bella|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
Of all the problems in this country, that is what this imbecile is focused on.
Jimmy Kimmel Drags Marjorie Taylor Greene Over Idiotic Anti-Mask Stunt|William Vaillancourt|May 21, 2021|The Daily Beast
I was hooked: Beckham was a brilliant imbecile, and England was my squad.
Why Americans Should Love the World Cup|Sean Wilsey|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In his youth, however, though too imbecile for study or for business, he was not incapable of being amused.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay

He just wrote things, things that he thought were adequately imbecile, and shot them into letter-boxes.
The Creators|May Sinclair
Good people, especially good women of the old type, would all counsel the imbecile sacrifice.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
Imbecile children are to be kept in the workhouse till they are five years old, and may then be sent to the asylum at Darenth.
English Poor Law Policy|Sidney Webb
You, poor imbecile, who carry under your hauberk four relics blessed by the Pope!
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue

British Dictionary definitions for imbecile

imbecile

noun (ˈɪmbɪˌsiːl, -ˌsaɪl)

psychol a person of very low intelligence (IQ of 25 to 50), usually capable only of guarding himself against danger and of performing simple mechanical tasks under supervision

informal an extremely stupid person; dolt

adjective Also: imbecilic (ˌɪmbɪˈsɪlɪk)

of or like an imbecile; mentally deficient; feeble-minded

stupid or senselessan imbecile thing to do

Derived forms of imbecile

imbecilely or imbecilically, adverbimbecility, noun

Word Origin for imbecile

C16: from Latin imbēcillus feeble (physically or mentally)

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

imbecile

Origin of imbecile

OTHER WORDS FROM imbecile

Words nearby imbecile

Words related to imbecile

How to use imbecile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for imbecile

Derived forms of imbecile

Word Origin for imbecile