imbecility

[ im-buh-sil-i-tee ]

noun

, plural im·be·cil·i·ties.

1. an instance or point of weakness; feebleness; incapability.
2. stupidity; silliness; absurdity.
3. an instance of stupidity, silliness, or absurdity.
4. Psychology. (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) an intellectual disability, previously classified in a now obsolete rubric of developmental disorders as having a mental age of seven or eight years and an intelligence quotient of 25 to 50.

Word History and Origins

Origin of imbecility¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English inbecillite, from Middle French imbecil(l)ite and Latin imbēcillitāt-, stem of imbēcillitās “weakness”; imbecile, -ity

Example Sentences

Those numbers are disappointing reminders that voters could definitely be smarter, of course, but it's not the slam dunk evidence of American imbecility that Republican politicians seem to think it is.

From Salon

The new show maintains the imbecility of the original, though some episodes, alas, have more developed plots.

From New York Times

Artistic expression and intellectual inquiry are replaced by a new dark age, the triumph of tawdry spectacle and the celebration of crowd-pleasing imbecility.

From Salon

“I have cultivated my hysteria with joy and terror. Now, I am continually overcome by vertigo, and today, Jan. 23, 1862, I was given a special warning: I felt the wind of the wing of imbecility pass over me.”

From Washington Post

“The government should know everything and foresee everything in order to manage the lives of the people, and the people need only let themselves be taken care of. ... Nothing is more senseless than to base so many expectations on the state ... to assume the existence of collective wisdom and foresight after taking for granted the existence of individual imbecility and improvidence.”

From Washington Post