Definitions for imbecility
ˌɪm bəˈsɪl ɪ tiim·be·cil·i·ty

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. imbecilitynoun

   retardation more severe than a moron but not as severe as an idiot

2. stupidity, betise, folly, foolishness, imbecilitynoun

   a stupid mistake

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. imbecilitynoun

   The quality of being imbecile; weakness; feebleness, especially of mind.

2. imbecilitynoun

   Something imbecilic; a stupid action, behaviour, etc.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Imbecilitynoun

   Weakness; feebleness of mind or body.

   Etymology: imbecillité, French.

   A weak and imperfect rule argueth imbecility and imperfection. Richard Hooker, b. iv.

   No imbecility of means can prejudice the truth of the promise of God herein. Richard Hooker.

   We that are strong must bear the imbecility of the impotent, and not please ourselves. Richard Hooker.

   That way we are contented to prove, which, being the worse in itself, is notwithstanding now, by reason of common imbecility, the fitter and likelier to be brooked. Richard Hooker.

   Strength would be lord of imbecility,
   And the rude son would strike his father dead. William Shakespeare.

   Imbecility, for sex and age, was such as they could not lift up a hand against them. Charles I .

   When man was fallen, and had abandoned his primitive innocence, a strange imbecility immediately seized and laid hold of him. John Woodward, Natural History.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. imbecility

   The term imbecile was once used by psychiatrists to denote a category of people with moderate to severe intellectual disability, as well as a type of criminal. The word arises from the Latin word imbecillus, meaning weak, or weak-minded. It originally referred to people of the second order in a former and discarded classification of intellectual disability, with a mental age of three to seven years and an IQ of 25–50, above "idiot" (IQ below 25) and below "moron" (IQ of 51–70). In the obsolete medical classification (ICD-9, 1977), these people were said to have "moderate mental retardation" or "moderate mental subnormality" with IQ of 35–49, as they are usually capable of some degree of communication, guarding themselves against danger and performing simple mechanical tasks under supervision.The meaning was further refined into mental and moral imbecility. The concepts of "moral insanity", "moral idiocy"," and "moral imbecility" led to the emerging field of eugenic criminology, which held that crime can be reduced by preventing "feeble-minded" people from reproducing."Imbecile" as a concrete classification was popularized by psychologist Henry H. Goddard and was used in 1927 by United States Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in his ruling in the forced-sterilization case Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927).The concept is closely associated with psychology, psychiatry, criminology, and eugenics. However, the term imbecile quickly passed into vernacular usage as a derogatory term. It fell out of professional use in the 20th century in favor of mental retardation.Phrases such as "mental retardation", "mentally retarded", and "retarded" are also subject to the euphemism treadmill: initially used in a medical manner, they gradually took on derogatory connotation. This had occurred with the earlier synonyms (for example, moron, imbecile, cretin, and idiot, formerly used as scientific terms in the early 20th century). Professionals searched for connotatively neutral replacements. In the United States, "Rosa's Law" changed references in many federal statutes to "mental retardation" to refer instead to "intellectual disability".

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. imbecility

   Imbecility is a state or condition characterized by extreme mental weakness or lack of intelligence and understanding, often leading to incompetence in thought processes and decision-making. It is often used insultingly or disparagingly to refer to someone's lack of mental capability or poor judgement.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Imbecilitynoun

   the quality of being imbecile; weakness; feebleness, esp. of mind

Matched Categories

1. • Mistake
   • Retardation

How to pronounce imbecility?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say imbecility in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of imbecility in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of imbecility in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of imbecility in a Sentence

1. Jack Holland:

   Gossip is always a personal confession of malice or imbecility; it is a low, frivolous, and too often a dirty business. There are neighborhoods where it rages like a pest; churches are split in pieces by it, and neighbor made enemies for life. Let the young avoid or cure it while they may.

2. Ralph Waldo Emerson:

   The imbecility of men is always inviting the impudence of power.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=imbecility
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Imbecility
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=imbecility
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imbecility
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imbecility