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inane

inane

28 7.5
Very silly and having no real meaning
  • adjective
  • /ɪˈneɪn/
translation icon : absurdo
  • The movie was filled with inane dialogue that made it hard to take seriously.

It's like Earth is inane in every way.

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Examples

  • Stop asking these inane questions and please, just do something.

  • It's always the same inane questions.

  • After the talk, hear me ask inane questions of Adam.

  • But when you have to read an entire book of her inane writing, it just does not hold.

  • You must stay, bored stupid, listening to your parents' inane conversation.

  • The way he hangs around making inane conversation.

  • As ALD parents, we both know the answer to that inane question.

  • Of course, I said something inane like, "Couldn't somebody have told me that before I waited for five hours?"

    Fiction book (1998)
  • D.J. said as patiently as she could, breaking in on two minutes of inane chatter.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • She doesn't have a sense of self that goes beyond these inane stories we've heard time and time again.

Synonyms

useless
vsinane
550 1.0

Not able to do the job it is made for

is about being silly or senseless rather than lacking practical use
meaningless
vsinane
226 5.1

Having no meaning, value, or purpose

is more about being foolish or nonsensical than simply empty meaning
pointless
vsinane
157 3.5

Not doing anything useful

is used for very silly behaviour, not only for lacking usefulness
senseless
vsinane
69 4.2

Foolish and having no clear reason

is more about extreme silliness or stupidity than just lacking reason
idle
vsinane
34 5.2

Unimportant talk with no real reason

is used for extreme silliness rather than only worthless talk
inconsequential
vsinane
29 7.7

Not important and not likely to make a difference

is about being absurdly silly rather than simply unimportant or minor
asinine
vsinane
  • Offensive
23 8.7

To be very foolish and show poor judgment

is more about being silly or pointless than bad judgment
immaterial
vsinane
19 7.2

Not important or relevant to a situation

is more about foolishness or lack of sense than relevance
fatuous
vsinane
  • Offensive
7 8.9

Silly and foolish while acting proud of oneself

is similar but stresses plain silliness rather than self satisfaction
vacuous
vsinane
  • Formal
5 8.1

Having no real meaning or importance

is about being silly and pointless rather than merely empty inside
nonmeaningful
vsinane
7.6

Not useful or important

is focused on silliness or stupidity rather than mere lack of meaning
inconsequent
vsinane
9.1

Not important or serious compared with other things

is stronger, describing extreme silliness rather than mere insignificance

Antonyms

327 3.3

Something that has a clear purpose or that is important

201 2.7

Showing good judgment and making practical choices

How Silly

absurd
288 4.4
ridiculous
1.6
inane
28 7.5
silly
976 1.0
daft
  • Informal
18 5.8

Surface Forms

inane positive

Etymology

Inane comes from the Latin inanis, meaning 'empty', made from in- 'not' and anima 'breath' or 'soul'. So something inane is like 'without life' or 'empty', which is why we use it for silly or pointless things.