imbecile
Brainless oaf, essentially
An imbecile is a fool or stupid person: What kind of imbecile leaves their car unlocked overnight?
The word was once a clinical term for moderate intellectual disability, ranking between "idiot" and "moron" in early 20th-century psychology.
That medical use is obsolete, but the insult remains common—stronger than "fool," weaker than a true obscenity.
Unwise, gullible person
dunce · nitwit · blockhead · bonehead · knucklehead · numbskull · airhead · dope
Unintelligent person
- moronWitless, dense person
- idiotFoolish, senseless person
- cretinDisparaging term for fool
- halfwitFoolish, slow-minded person
natural · deficient · subnormal · backward · slow · dullard · dunce · changeling
Unwise conduct
- stupidityLack of intelligence
- incompetenceLack of required skill
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
ineptitude · cluelessness · recklessness · thoughtlessness · senselessness · absurdity · inanity · fatuity
fool
Unwise, gullible person
dimwit · dunce · nitwit · blockhead · bonehead · knucklehead · numbskull · airhead · dope · dullard
simpleton
Unintelligent person
halfwit · natural · deficient · subnormal · backward · slow · dullard · dunce · changeling
foolishness
Unwise conduct
- stupidityLack of intelligence
- incompetenceLack of required skill
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
bungling · ineptitude · cluelessness · recklessness · thoughtlessness · senselessness · absurdity · inanity · fatuity · witlessness
imbecilegenius
Person of rare brilliance
intellectual · brain · mastermind · prodigy · polymath