Synonyms for imbecility
Most common
Definitions
- n. 1
The quality of being imbecile; weakness; feebleness, especially of mind.
Forms
- Plural
- imbecilities → idiocies, stupidities, follies, foolishnesses…
Choose the right word
Imbecility is a condition of mental weakness, which may or may not be as complete as that of idiocy, but is at least such as to incapacitate for the serious duties of life.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- stupidity There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity.
- folly Who lives without folly is not so wise as he thinks.
- foolishness I'm getting endlessly annoyed by this foolishness.
- idiocy If you can't impress them with skill, impress them with idiocy.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| imbecility | falling | |
| stupidity | rising | |
| folly | steady | |
| foolishness | rising | |
| idiocy | steady | |
| amentia | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- folly2
- 6 letters
- idiocy4
- 7 letters
- fatuity, amentia
- 9 letters
- stupidity4
- 11 letters
- foolishness3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (folly2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- imbécillité
- Italiano
- imbecillità
- Español
- imbecilidad
- Català
- imbecil·litat