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Definitions

inane

[ih-neyn] / ɪˈneɪn /
ADJECTIVE
stupid
Synonyms
WEAK
absurd asinine daft empty fatuous flat foolish frivolous futile harebrained idiotic illogical imbecilic innocuous insipid jejune laughable meaningless mindless pointless puerile ridiculous sappy senseless silly trifling unintelligent vacant vacuous vain vapid weak wishy-washy worthless
Antonyms
WEAK
bright intelligent smart

Usage

What are other ways to say inane? Inane applies to silliness that is notably lacking in content, sense, or point: inane questions that leave one with no reply. Foolish implies a lack of common sense or good judgment or, sometimes, a weakness of mind: a foolish decision; The child seems foolish. Fatuous implies being not only foolish, dull, and vacant in mind, but complacent and highly self-satisfied as well: fatuous and self-important; fatuous answers. Silly denotes extreme and conspicuous foolishness; it may also refer to pointlessness of jokes, remarks, etc.: silly and senseless behavior; a perfectly silly statement. Stupid implies natural slowness or dullness of intellect, or, sometimes, a benumbed or dazed state of mind; it is also used to mean foolish or silly: He was rendered stupid by a blow; It is stupid to do such a thing. Asinine originally meant like an ass; it applies to witlessly stupid conversations or conduct and suggests a lack of social grace or perception: He failed to notice the reaction to his asinine remarks.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With his inane bleating on television about taking over the world, Graham sounded unhinged.

From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026

People are going to say the wrong thing, or ask inane questions.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026

No great loss if so; with his inane, surfer-dude personality, he’s like an extraterrestrial Jeff Spicoli without the comic gifts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

This was the rarest of offerings in today’s endlessly inane sports media ecosystem:

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

We Prices are altogether thought to be peculiarly well-intentioned, and inane.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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