From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishimbecileim‧be‧cile /ˈɪmbəsiːl $ -səl/ noun [countable] STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEsomeone who is very stupid or behaves very stupidly SYN idiot He looked at me as if I was a total imbecile. —imbecilic /ˌɪmbəˈsɪlɪk◂/ adjective —imbecility /ˌɪmbəˈsɪləti/ noun [countable, uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
imbecile• All they want is an imbecile to follow them around-a pull toy.• And then, me playing an imbecile and looking like one, and she said I'd never be the same again.• If he hadn't adored her he would have treated her as a credulous imbecile.• The comparison with human imbeciles can serve to show animals in a more creditable light.• It serves only to put their comparison with human imbeciles in proper perspective.• She'd been incarcerated for thirty years or so, poor imbecile.• Despite appearances to the contrary, he had to presume that Gordon was not a total imbecile.Origin imbecile (1400-1500) French imbécile, from imbécile “weak, weak-minded”, from Latin imbecillus, probably from baculum “stick (for support)” 