feebleminded
feebleminded Lexical Profile
feebleminded Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Lacking normal intelligence, good judgment, or mental acuity; foolish or unintelligent.
"The critic dismissed the plot of the film as a feebleminded attempt at political satire."
Lacking firmness of will, determination, or moral resolve; irresolute.
"Historians criticized the monarch's feebleminded response to the growing constitutional crisis."
Word Nuance & Usage
Once used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a formal clinical classification for mild intellectual disability, the term is now strictly archaic in medicine and considered offensive when applied to cognitive impairments. In contemporary English, it is used almost exclusively as a derogatory descriptor for foolishness, poor judgment, or a lack of resolve.
• Rhymes for feebleminded
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.