imbecility

noun

ˌim-bə-ˈsi-lə-tē How to pronounce imbecility (audio)
Definition of imbecilitynext
1
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea was arrested for the sheer imbecility of speeding down a dark road with no headlights on

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment we were stunned by the imbecility of the ideas presented by this once-respected biologist

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of imbecility When Constanze reaches her breaking point, Mozart’s imbecility is exposed as fragility. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imbecility
  1. insanity
  2. madness
  3. idiocy
  4. simplicity
  5. absurdity
Noun
  • Bennett asked the jury to find Hinton not guilty by reason of insanity.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • That sentence would have sounded like insanity a few decades ago, but in the strange world of Hollywood in the 2020s, weirder might really be better.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • The couple’s relationship appears to be an archetypal folie a deux, or madness of two.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Read on to see how Humm made it through the madness to open Humm, the first restaurant to bear his name.
    — Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • There's always been an element of complete idiocy in the culture.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Forty years on, Spy magazine is best remembered, not unjustly, as the first entity to call out Trump for his tackiness, villainy, and arrant idiocy.
    — David Kamp, Air Mail, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of idiocy
Noun
  • Satin finish, soft glow Much like the origins of the mochi skin concept, the mochi skin aesthetic is rooted in the Japanese approach to beauty, where simplicity and radiance take center stage.
    — Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • That process has been in place for over three decades, and Brazilians have become accustomed to its speed, simplicity, accuracy and routine.
    — Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • For all the absurdity, though, the award carries considerable weight — even if the timing is bittersweet.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2026
  • That obsession reached its peak of exuberant absurdity on a Friday in late July of 1995.
    — Adam Sztykiel, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of absurdity

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imbecilities
imbecility
imbibe
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Cite this Entry

“Imbecility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imbecility. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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