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Imbecile vs Genius - What's the difference?

imbecile | genius |

As nouns the difference between imbecile and genius

is that imbecile is (obsolete) a person with limited (l) (l) who can perform (l) 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 while genius is genius (extraordinary mental capacity).

As an adjective imbecile

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

imbecile

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (obsolete) A person with limited (l) (l) who can perform (l) 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.
  • (pejorative) A .
  • Usage notes

    * In modern times, “imbecile” is often used in (l) (l).

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * imbecilic (adjective) * imbecility (noun)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (dated) Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; especially, mentally weak.
  • hospitals for the imbecile and insane

    genius

    English

    (wikipedia genius)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (informal) ingenious, very clever, or original.
  • What a genius idea!

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (eulogistic) Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art etc.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.}}
  • Extraordinary mental capacity.
  • Inspiration, a mental leap, an extraordinary creative process.
  • (Roman mythology) The guardian spirit of a place or person.
  • A way of thinking, optimizing one's capacity for learning and understanding.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * idiot