as in boredom
physical or mental inertness
faced with a class forever enveloped in a miasma of apathy and intellectual hebetude, the professor had little hope of kindling an interest in medieval European history
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Recent Examples of hebetude
The leaden weight of an irremediable idleness descended upon General Feraud, who having no resources within himself sank into a state of awe-inspiring hebetude.
—
Ruth Walker, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2017
Ruth Walker, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hebetude
Noun
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As seen only in the episodes, the major arcs of this season of Love Island have been tedious to the point of boredom.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
9 July 2025
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This can stem from boredom or a desire for stimulation, or even a territorial instinct to protect the dog's territory against intruders.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Noun
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Reported symptoms include: vomiting, sudden weakness or lethargy, seizures, cardiac arrest, collapse, and foaming at the mouth.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
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Thyroid hormones drop, causing fatigue and lethargy, and reproductive hormones dip, which can lower libido and halt menstrual periods.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Symptoms of the more serious illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the CDC.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
28 July 2025
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By contrast, Sue’s insistence that everything will be all right is so plainly unrealistic that the audience is waiting for some actual catastrophe to shake her out of her stupor.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hebetude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hebetude. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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