HOW TO PRONOUNCE
imbecile
/ˈɪmbəsɪl/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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What does imbecile mean?
noun
- (obsolete) A person with limited mental capacity who can perform tasks and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five- to seven-year-old child.
More meanings (2)
noun
- (derogatory) A fool, an idiot.
adjective
- (dated) Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; especially, mentally weak.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈɪmbəsɪl/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
Of Stemmermann's own cases, ten in number, only four at most were normally endowed, the remainder were either stupid or slightly imbecile.
What else than ignorance of the law is it that excuses persons under the years of discretion, and men of imbecile minds?
More book examples (3)
‘Oh, you know, deuce take it,’ said this gentleman, looking round the board with an imbecile smile, ‘we can’t forego Blood, you know.
Modern conditions of civilization, as we are continually being reminded, furnish the most favorable breeding-ground for the mental defective, the moron, the imbecile.
The man who has never heard, the man who has never uttered these absurdities, these paltry remarks, is an imbecile and a malicious fellow.