inane

[ih-nayn] / 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.

See Examples For:

inane

I still can’t get over the inane lyrics: “Shannen Doherty, Shannen Doherty / You’re in my head. Shannen Doherty, Shannen Doherty / I like bread.”

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

To recap, each Saturday we’ll break down the biggest news of the week into three categories: what mattered most, what we’re keeping an eye on, and what’s unfathomably inane.

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2026

Stars dictated dressing‑room dynamics, influenced tactical decisions and sometimes overshadowed the collective with inane disputes over things like training schedules or even who should take penalties.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Lowery makes proficient use of the confined setting where Sam and Mary reunite, building a two-hander chamber drama around Coel and Hathaway’s fervent commitment to the weird and inane.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026

It was inane to be standing there listing these details.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

inane

Usage

Example Sentences

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inane

Usage

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Related Words

Vocabulary lists containing inane

300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words

The Catcher in the Rye

100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"