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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hebetude
Noun
  • These spectacular environments and their all-consuming nature are often a form of therapy, a response to loneliness, boredom, trauma, mental illness, or religious mania–sometimes a combination.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • However, attendees showed no sign of boredom and punctuated her approximately 30-minute oration at City Hall with applause.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
  • Signs that your pup may be unwell include significant weight loss; chronic vomiting or diarrhea; weakness and lethargy, says Knutsford Veterinary Surgery on its website.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Hours later, as the commanders slept at home in a medicated stupor, the handmaids spread out all over with the intent of killing Gilead’s leaders in their sleep.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 May 2025
  • Drugs either didn’t work or put him in a severe stupor.
    Kayana Szymczak For The New York Times, New York Times, 13 May 2025

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“Hebetude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hebetude. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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