as in idiot
a stupid person
only an imbecile would leave their car unlocked, with the keys in the ignition, and then be surprised when the vehicle was stolen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or imbecilic
as in idiotic
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imbecile
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
But Newsom was voted into office by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, and he’s handled the unprecedented dual challenges of COVID-19 and climate change reasonably well and far better than the imbecile Trump.
—Steve Lopez Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2021
Sam Sacks, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2016
Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.
—Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2016
Noun
The speech drew death threats and charges of antisemitism—an imbecilic response, and also a pointed reminder of Germany’s relentless crackdown on criticism of Israel.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
But Newsom was voted into office by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, and he’s handled the unprecedented dual challenges of COVID-19 and climate change reasonably well and far better than the imbecile Trump.
—Steve Lopez Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2021
Adjective
Evil is insolent and strong; beauty enchanting but rare; goodness very apt to be weak; folly very apt to be defiant; wickedness to carry the day; imbeciles to be in great places, people of sense in small, and mankind generally unhappy.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2016
Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.
—Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imbecile
Adjective
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And jingoism, idiotic, is not patriotism.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
7 Mar. 2025
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But, here, the characters suffer from the horror film syndrome of making one idiotic decision after another because that’s what the film requires to send the action in its intended direction.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Noun
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So, the parallel thing that I’ve been frustrated by recently is not just calling Trump stupid, but calling Trump voters stupid.—
Drew Broussard
May 22,
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
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Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Caroline Downey,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Underestimating China would be a grave error, but underestimating the United States would be equally foolish.—
Damien Ma,
Foreign Affairs,
1 July 2025
-
Gi-hun himself proved a tough protagonist to root for when the show began, as a foolish gambling addict hoping to reconnect with his family but who becomes obsessed with the games anyway.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Murderbot May 16 on Apple TV+ The question on everyone’s mind: What if the technology that takes on ou most mindless and inane tasks revolts against us?—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
19 May 2025
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This idea, presented as a somewhat inane gesture of pragmatic engagement, instead provoked strong opposition from world leaders, who condemned it as both strategically misguided and morally indefensible.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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The fatuous Fed/1930s narrative raises a basic question: why are successful investors paid so well?—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
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So although these actions may seem fatuous on the surface, the next four years will be about looking for the undercurrents.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Austin doesn't even seem to register his witless neighbor's lack of social skills until Craig punches his lights out—supposedly in fun—during a guys' night get-together.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
9 May 2025
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Bruno Guimaraes made it 4-1 when Joelinton intercepted a witless clearance from Altay Bayindir.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Featured Presentations Final Destination: Bloodlines Family gatherings can already be a pain, but imagine that pain being asinine deaths that claim everyone one by one.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
17 May 2025
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What's worse than luring Robert De Niro to Netflix for a boring, soulless and asinine political thriller?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imbecile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imbecile. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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