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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hebetude
Noun
  • When deprived of exercise, a varied environment, and the social opportunities that the wild provides, elephants suffer from chronic frustration, boredom, and stress, resulting over time in physical disabilities, psychological disorders, and, often, brain damage.
    TJ Hutchinson, The Denver Post, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Despite being one of the most popular smartphone makers in the world, much of the internet responded to the Samsung Galaxy S25 range with feelings somewhere between boredom and unhappiness.
    Callum Booth, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Bailey recommends that people watch out for signs of lethargy, runny nose, or discharge around the eyes.
    Sarah Boden, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
  • But to many, there appears to be a lethargy that is out of place with the club’s precarious predicament.
    Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Symptoms of severe illness include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, stupor, tremors, seizures, paralysis, or coma.
    Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Sep. 2024
  • First, there was the chest-down, sort of squaring-up motion that drunkards do to bouncers, to be followed by a strike which could not even be conceived of in drunken stupors.
    Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 30 June 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Hebetude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hebetude. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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