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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or imbecilic
as in idiotic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 imbecile
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
Steve Lopez Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2021
Noun
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
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imbecile
Adjective
-
Too many young people are making idiotic short-term financial decisions that hamper long-term success.—
Chandler Dean,
The New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2023
-
Beyond the Lungs Two other cardiac cases impressed me — and blew away the idiotic notion that young people are immune to COVID-19.—
Tony Dajer,
Discover Magazine,
30 July 2020
Noun
-
An underrated gem — not enough people have seen this top-tier season — Squirrels Trip has some fabulous vocals, very funny lyrics, a heavy dose of stupid, and an engaging story.—
Barry Levitt,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The stupid!—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 July 2021
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
Peter, though revered as an apostle worthy of veneration, is also portrayed in the Gospels as prone to mistakes, often foolish, and sometimes outright contradictory to God’s will.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
-
The notion that women should be flawless multitaskers, managing a perfect home and career while never showing vulnerability or weakness is not only unrealistic, but also foolish.—
Nicole Lipkin,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Joking was her version of uncontrollable tears, but Dr. Fenton neither laughed nor pressed to see what was behind Lilian’s inane laughter.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Musk could hold up Florida State as an example of this inane practice.—
Mike Bianchi,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Second, this rationale for regulation proved to be illogical and fatuous as conceded by U.S. Courts and the Federal Communications Commission in the decades since.—
Carine Harb,
Newsweek,
9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Witherspoon’s timing is whip-crack good, and Ferrell’s is, too, on a different wavelength, even when the material’s settling for surprisingly witless profanity punchlines that don’t quiiiiite qualify as actual jokes.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2025
-
But this latest effort, premiering on Prime Video, proves a relentlessly vulgar and witless affair that not even the talents of stars Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon and a comedically gifted supporting cast can rescue.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
-
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
-
Alonso may not be the priority at first base for the Bronx Bombers, but to say there is zero interest is asinine.—
Gord Magill,
Newsweek,
20 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to imbecile
Cite this Entry
“Imbecile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imbecile. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share