imbecility

[ im-buh-sil-i-tee ]

/ ˌɪm bəˈsɪl ɪ ti /

an instance or point of weakness; feebleness; incapability.

stupidity; silliness; absurdity.

an instance of this.

Psychology. (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) the state of being an imbecile.

RELATED WORDS

1525–35; earlier imbecillity < Latin imbēcillitās. See imbecile, -ity

Condescension can be irritating in its expression of hysteria and imbecility, but that comes with freedom of speech.
Obama Loses His Cool|Stanley Crouch|June 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Consternation ruled supreme, treason and imbecility were everywhere charged against the authorities.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane
For two years more he lingered, sinking slowly into unconsciousness and imbecility.
Queen Victoria|Lytton Strachey
He moved away reluctantly, and again she almost laughed at his imbecility.
The Swindler and Other Stories|Ethel M. Dell

In imbecility the fault is in the will, rather than in the intellect, in the middle and highest grades.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
At times he was on the border-land of imbecility; his mind looked into a cloudy chaos, a shapeless whirl of nothings.
New Grub Street|George Gissing