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Though the use of 'idiot,' 'moron,' and 'imbecile' is widespread and very common to denote someone acting stupidly, they were all once clinical terms to describe people with mental impairments. Keep it in mind, should you use them, that there is a potential to offend.
Mar 31, 2010 · Specifically, those who have an IQ between 0 and 25 are idiots; IQs between 26 and 50 are considered imbeciles; and those who have an IQ between 51 and 70 are considered morons. These terms were popular in psychology as associated with intelligence on an IQ test until around the 1960s.
- The Disabled
- Handicap and Handicapped
- Able-Bodied
- Suffers from
- Confined to A Wheelchair
- Victim
- Impaired and Impairment
- High-Functioning and low-functioning
- Figurative Use of Words Like Deaf and Blind
- Language That Focuses on Limitations
Despite the preference for the adjective disabled in many contexts, this does not extend to its use as a collective noun. Using the phrase the disabled to collectively refer to people with disabilities is usually considered offensive. Like with many other terms—such as the homeless—referring to a group of people by using the word theand a collectiv...
The once commonly used terms handicap andhandicapped have been widely replaced with disability and disabled, respectively. The word handicaphas its origins in horse racing, referring to a disadvantage placed upon certain competitors. Using these terms in the context of disability is now often considered demeaning due to their emphasis on disadvanta...
People with disabilities often object to terms like able-bodied and similar phrases to refer to people who don’t have disabilities. Terms like these can imply that people with disabilities don’t have “able bodies” or otherwise have comparatively less fulfilling lives. Some people prefer terms such as non-disabled or people without disabilitiesinste...
Saying that a person suffers from a certain disability is widely considered an example of ableist language. The word suffers, when used this way, falsely equates having a disability to a life of suffering. Examples of phrasings similar to suffers from that are also best to avoid include stricken with and afflicted with. Use of such wording is easil...
In this context, words like confined wrongfully imply that a person who uses a wheelchair lacks agency—especially compared to those who don’t—and that needing to use a wheelchair is an inherently negative thing. The easy alternative is right there in the previous sentence: saying that a personusesa wheelchair (or expressing this with similarly neut...
The word victim is another example of terminology that can diminish a person’s agency and imply that they require pity. In the context of disability, it wrongfully implies that a disability or condition is inherently negative and that it involves a life of suffering—as if it were some kind of curse. There can be a tendency to use the word in tandem...
Many medical and government organizations have used variations of the word impaired in the context of disability, such as in phrases like hearing-impaired and visual impairment. While terms like these are common, many object to the word impaired because it can emphasize limitations or equate disability to injuries or damaged bodies. For this reason...
These non-medical terms have a history of use in certain contexts, such as educational settings, to describe people with mental disabilities, but they are often considered offensive and inappropriate for multiple reasons. Because they are not formal medical terms, they are often used vaguely and imprecisely. Critics of the terms also point out that...
The English language is full of figurative and metaphorical expressions, including many that are based on comparisons to deafness and blindness: fall on deaf ears,turn a blind eye, and the blind leading the blindare just a few. They may be so familiar as to seem innocuous, but when you stop to think about their meanings and connotations, it becomes...
Some examples of ableist language are of the kind that focus on limitations, such as saying that someone can’t see/hear/talk. When a disability is relevant, it is best to discuss it neutrally, and not in a way that emphasizes what a person is not able to do. In some cases, an even better choice may be a term that focuses on strengths and advantages...
Imbecile was the diagnostic term, used in the early 1900s, for people with IQ scores between 30 and 50. [47] It is no longer used professionally. [6] Before the IQ test was developed in 1905, "imbecile" was also commonly used as a casual insult towards anyone perceived as incompetent at doing something. [47] Incapacitated [6]
The term imbecile was once used by psychiatrists to denote a category of people with moderate to severe intellectual disability, as well as a type of criminal. [1] [2] The word arises from the Latin word imbecillus, meaning weak, or weak-minded. [3]
What does the word imbecile mean? There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word imbecile, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. imbecile is considered offensive.
imbecile. noun. /ˈɪmbəsiːl/ /ˈɪmbəsl/ a rude way to refer to somebody who you think is very stupid synonym idiot. They behaved like imbeciles. Want to learn more?
