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The terms idiot, imbecile, moron, and their derivatives were formerly used as technical descriptors in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts. These uses were broadly rejected by the close of the 20th century and are now considered offensive.
Synonyms
Noun
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- deadhead
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- dolt
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dullard
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- goon
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- mutt
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- noodle
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
Examples of imbecile in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imbecile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
derivative of imbecile entry 2
Adjective
borrowed from Middle French and Latin; Middle French imbecile, imbecille, borrowed from Latin imbēcillus "physically weak, feeble, fragile (of materials), deficient in power, lacking intellectual or moral strength," of obscure origin
Note: In the Leiden scholia on Juvenal the word imbēcillis is explained as "quasi sine baculo" ("as if without a staff"), taking the word as formed from the negative prefix in- (see in- entry 1) and bacillum, a diminutive of baculum "staff." But there are both formal and semantic problems with such an etymology: Lucretius and Horace have the e as a long vowel; and for a word meaning "frail" a compound meaning "with a staff" would be more likely than "without a staff."
Articles Related to imbecile
Dictionary Entries Near imbecile
Cite this Entry
“Imbecile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imbecile. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
imbecile
nounMedical Definition
imbecile
nounUsage of Imbecile
The terms idiot, imbecile, moron, and their derivatives, such as imbecility, were formerly used as technical descriptors in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts. These uses were broadly rejected by the close of the 20th century and are now considered offensive.
Legal Definition
imbecile
noun
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