imbecile

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

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

SEE SYNONYMS FOR imbecile 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 mental retardation, 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.

Origin of imbecile

1540–50; earlier imbecill<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 UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for imbecile

The town in which the son of Jesse had first appeared, entreating help in the guise of an imbecile, thus fell before him.
History of the Jews, Vol. I (of 6)|Heinrich Graetz
A man may remain an imbecile and live; but as soon as the heart ceases to perform its functions, the animal is dead.
The Social Contract & Discourses|Jean-Jacques Rousseau
He was looked upon as a fool, as an imbecile, as an ignoramus.
In Search of a Son|William Shepard Walsh
The family was descended from a Revolutionary soldier, who had an illegitimate feeble-minded son by an imbecile young woman.
Society|Henry Kalloch Rowe

John, he said, was almost an imbecile, on account of the numerous and hopeless bodily infirmities to which he was subject.
Peter the Great|Jacob Abbott

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

Medical definitions for imbecile

imbecile

[ ĭm′bə-sĭl, -səl ]

n.

A person of moderate to severe mental retardation having a mental age of from three to seven years and generally being capable of some degree of communication and performance of simple tasks under supervision. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.

Other words from imbecile

im′be•cil′i•ty (-sĭl′ĭ•tē) n.

单词	imbecile
释义	imbecile [ im-buh-sil, -suhl or, especially British, -seel ] / ˈɪm bə sɪl, -səl or, especially British, -ˌsil / SEE SYNONYMS FOR imbecile 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 mental retardation, 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. Origin of imbecile 1540–50; earlier imbecill<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 UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for imbecile The town in which the son of Jesse had first appeared, entreating help in the guise of an imbecile, thus fell before him. History of the Jews, Vol. I (of 6)\|Heinrich Graetz A man may remain an imbecile and live; but as soon as the heart ceases to perform its functions, the animal is dead. The Social Contract & Discourses\|Jean-Jacques Rousseau He was looked upon as a fool, as an imbecile, as an ignoramus. In Search of a Son\|William Shepard Walsh The family was descended from a Revolutionary soldier, who had an illegitimate feeble-minded son by an imbecile young woman. Society\|Henry Kalloch Rowe John, he said, was almost an imbecile, on account of the numerous and hopeless bodily infirmities to which he was subject. Peter the Great\|Jacob Abbott 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 Words related to imbecile simple, thick, fool, dummy, dunce, jerk, idiot, pinhead, simpleton, moron, dimwit, dolt, birdbrain, asinine, backward, deranged, dim-witted, dull, fatuous, idiotic Medical definitions for imbecile imbecile [ ĭm′bə-sĭl, -səl ] n. A person of moderate to severe mental retardation having a mental age of from three to seven years and generally being capable of some degree of communication and performance of simple tasks under supervision. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive. Other words from imbecile im′be•cil′i•ty (-sĭl′ĭ•tē) n. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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imbecile

noun

adjective

Origin of imbecile

OTHER WORDS FROM imbecile

Words nearby imbecile

Example sentences from the Web for imbecile

British Dictionary definitions for imbecile

noun (ˈɪmbɪˌsiːl, -ˌsaɪl)

adjective Also: imbecilic (ˌɪmbɪˈsɪlɪk)

Derived forms of imbecile

Word Origin for imbecile

Words related to imbecile

Medical definitions for imbecile

n.

Other words from imbecile