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Webster 1828 Edition


Feeble-minded

FEE'BLE-MINDED

,
Adj.
Weak in mind; wanting firmness or constancy; irresolute.
Comfort the feeble-minded. 1Thess. 5.

Definition 2024


feeble-minded

feeble-minded

See also: feebleminded

English

Adjective

feeble-minded (comparative more feeble-minded, superlative most feeble-minded)

  1. Weak in intellectual power; wanting firmness or constancy; lacking intelligence; irresolute; vacillating; imbecile.

Usage notes

This term was used loosely in the late 19th and the early 20th century to describe a variety of mental deficiencies, often in a medical context (as were cretin, idiot, imbecile and moron). It was originally not meant to be considered a pejorative term. By the mid-20th century, it was no longer used in medical contexts and became considered a pejorative.

Related terms

Translations

References

  • feeble-minded in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913