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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.

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

After all, I am only in the store a few minutes a week and can readily suck it up and ignore the discombobulatingly inane strains of “Peaceful, Easy Feeling” blaring overhead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

Trump’s moment of the night ended up feeling tacked on, as James Austin Johnson appeared suddenly in an already solid sketch about Gen Alpha slang and inane podcasts for teenage boys.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2025

The uproar even produced this exquisitely inane headline from the New York Times: “What Charlie Kirk Could Mean for the Future of Marriage.”

From Salon • Sep. 28, 2025

Due to his upbringing, Hugh sits through inane movies never realizing that they're often based on inane television shows.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.