Adjacent Words

Imbecility definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IMBECIL'ITY, n. [L. imbecillitas.]
1. Want of strength; weakness; feebleness of body or of mind. We speak of the imbecility of the body or of the intellect, when either does not possess the usual strength and vigor that belongs to men, and which is necessary to a due performance of its functions. This may be natural, or induced by violence or disease.
2. Impotence of males; inability to procreate children.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: retardation more severe than a moron but not as severe as an idiot
2: a stupid mistake [syn: stupidity, betise, folly, foolishness, imbecility]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ties) Date: circa 1533 1. the quality or state of being imbecile or an imbecile 2. a. utter foolishness; also futility b. something that is foolish or nonsensical

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Imbecility Im`be*cil"i*ty, n.; pl. Imbecilities. [L. imbecillitas: cf. F. imb['e]cillit['e].] The quality of being imbecile; weakness; feebleness, esp. of mind. Cruelty . . . argues not only a depravedness of nature, but also a meanness of courage and imbecility of mind. --Sir W. Temple. Note: This term is used specifically to denote natural weakness of the mental faculties, affecting one's power to act reasonably or intelligently. Syn: Debility; infirmity; weakness; feebleness; impotence. See Debility.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Weakness, feebleness, debility, infirmity, helplessness. 2. Foolishness, childishness, idiocy, fatuity.

Moby Thesaurus

amentia, arrested development, asininity, backwardness, battiness, blithering idiocy, brainlessness, buffoonery, clownishness, crackpottedness, crankiness, craziness, cretinism, daffiness, desipience, disability, disablement, disqualification, eccentricity, fatuity, fatuousness, folly, foolery, foolheadedness, foolishness, frivolity, frivolousness, giddiness, goofiness, half-wittedness, idiocy, idiotism, inability, inadequacy, inanity, incapability, incapacitation, incapacity, incompetence, incompetency, inefficiency, ineptitude, infancy, infantilism, inferiority, insanity, insufficiency, legal incapacity, lunacy, madness, mental defectiveness, mental deficiency, mental handicap, mental retardation, mindlessness, minority, mongolianism, mongolism, mongoloid idiocy, moronism, moronity, niaiserie, nugacity, nuttiness, profound idiocy, queerness, retardation, retardment, sappiness, screwiness, senselessness, silliness, simple-wittedness, simplemindedness, simpleness, simplicity, stupidity, subnormality, thoughtlessness, triflingness, triviality, unfitness, wackiness, wardship, weirdness, witlessness, zaniness, zanyism