🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

imbécile

Pronunciation / Transliteration: ɛ̃.be.zil

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Imbecile/ˈɪm.bə.sɪl/
nounadjectiveCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Il a agi comme un imbécile en oubliant le rendez-vous."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A person who is considered to be very foolish or stupid.

    "He acted like an imbecile when he forgot the meeting."
As adjective
  1. 1

    Describing someone as lacking intelligence or common sense.

    "Her imbecile comments during the discussion frustrated everyone."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Synonyms (3)
Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term 'imbecile' originates from the Latin word 'imbecillus', meaning weak or weak-minded. It evolved through Middle French before entering English in the late 14th century, where it initially referred to a person of low intelligence or mental capacity.

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