imbecility

American  

[im-buh-sil-i-tee] / ˌɪm bəˈsɪl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

imbecilities

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of imbecility

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

When Constanze reaches her breaking point, Mozart’s imbecility is exposed as fragility.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

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 • Aug. 16, 2022

He mortified them with tales of imbecility and treason.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 12, 2018

It was a two-year process and somewhat complicated, and I watched him never get angry at anyone, never write 5,000-word emails lambasting the stupidity and imbecility of everyone.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2018

In his life, Donald wrapped himself in a kind of quiet that, depending on the observer, signaled imbecility or a reservoir of mystery.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead