different between imbecile vs numskull

English

Etymology

From Middle French imbécile, from Latin imb?cillus (“weak, feeble”), literally “without a staff”.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?mb??si?l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??mb?s?l/, /??mb?s?l/

Noun

imbecile (plural imbeciles)

1. (obsolete) A person with limited mental capacity who can perform tasks and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five to seven-year-old child.
2. (derogatory) A fool, an idiot.

Usage notes

• In modern times, “imbecile” is often used in jocular insults.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:idiot

Derived terms

• imbecilic (adjective)
• imbecility (noun)

Translations

Adjective

imbecile (comparative more imbecile, superlative most imbecile)

1. (dated) Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; especially, mentally weak.

   hospitals for the imbecile and insane

English

Alternative forms

• numbskull

Etymology

numb (“deadened”) +? skull

Noun

numskull (plural numskulls)

1. (derogatory) A dunce, mentally dull or stupid person.
2. (derogatory) A person who refuses to learn or grow mentally.

   That numskull will never learn how to compose a letter.

3. A traditional name for a fool who serves as the butt of jokes about stupidity.

Synonyms

• airhead
• bubblehead
• thickhead
• See also Thesaurus:fool
• See also Thesaurus:idiot

Derived terms

• numpty, numptie

Translations

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967