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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imbecility
Noun
-
Initially, in 2019, Atkins pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but in 2021, he was found mentally competent to stand trial.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
Dominguez also pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to attempted murder in connection with Guillory’s attack.—
Darrell Smith
June 8,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The four-night FIFA-centric experience, which takes place from July 16–21, gives six guests the chance to escape from the FIFA madness in the largest hotel penthouse suite in the US, which spans the entirety of The Mark's top two floors.—
Hannah Chubb,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 June 2026
-
Shea Langeliers sent a shot 483 feet in the first sign of the madness to come in a 15-14, 12-inning game that introduced the city to its eventual MLB club.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
That’s the level of idiocy in the Los Angeles city government.—
Susan Shelley,
Daily News,
13 May 2026
-
The idiocy of these people knows no bounds.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But despite their simplicity, the style leaves plenty of room for personalization.—
Omenaa Boakye,
InStyle,
9 June 2026
-
Soccer derives its beauty from its simplicity.—
Leander Schaerlaeckens
June 8,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
This is a racist absurdity in addition to being an impossible read of the Constitution, which is perhaps why the Roberts Court has buried it under so many layers of obfuscation.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
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Often, that makes for a hilarious juxtaposition with the work of the show’s production designer Sharon Lomofsky, who brilliantly captures the absurdity of certain vacation destinations like a barbecue restaurant a stone’s throw from the remote Upstate New York hotel the characters are staying at.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Don’t just try to be brilliant; focus on avoiding stupidity.—
Nilton Bernini,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Nobody doggedly builds a stand-up career that takes them from clubs to theaters to selling out arena tours from a foundation of genuine stupidity.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imbecility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imbecility. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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