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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The benefits of boredom extend far beyond childhood.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
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In this video, Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks, author of The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life, makes the case that boredom isn’t a problem to escape with another scroll on your phone.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Dogs can exhibit one or more symptoms of grief, including withdrawal from people and pets, lack of appetite, lethargy, unusual aggression or destructive behaviors, searching for a companion dog, increased vocalization or becoming clingy.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
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For there was poor Brown, to the far left of the basket, ball in hand, trying to do something, anything, to shake the lethargy out of the Celtics.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
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The missing kids turn out to be standing in near-catatonic stupor in the Lilly family’s basement.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
8 Aug. 2025
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People are mesmerized, reduced to amnesiac stupor, by the torrent of his outbursts.—
Roger Cohen,
New York Times,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hebetude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hebetude. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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