as in boredom
physical or mental inertness
faced with a class forever enveloped in a miasma of apathy and intellectual hebetude, the professor had little hope of kindling an interest in medieval European history
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Recent Examples of hebetude
The leaden weight of an irremediable idleness descended upon General Feraud, who having no resources within himself sank into a state of awe-inspiring hebetude.
—
Ruth Walker, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2017
Ruth Walker, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hebetude
Noun
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Experiment with different seasonings to minimize boredom and flavor fatigue.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
3 Mar. 2026
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As a result, the remote operators experience extreme swings in workload: sometimes overwhelming intensity, sometimes crushing boredom.—
Missy Cummings,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In other calls, medical staff asked for ambulances for a 6-year-old boy with lethargy and a high fever, a 14-month-old in respiratory distress, and a 22-month-old with a fever and low oxygen levels.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Severe dehydration follows, evident in lethargy, dry mouth and lips, doughy skin and weak cries.—
Dr. Rahul K. Parikh,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That’s not to say there isn’t a company-wide stupor after last week’s bombshells.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
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That’s perfectly satisfying for the lizard brain, but the attentive listener may long for the occasional act two to lift Evaporator out of its honeyed electronic stupor and toss a touch of sand in the gears.—
Ben Cardew,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hebetude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hebetude. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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