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inane

adjective
\ i-ˈnān How to pronounce inane (audio) \
inaner; inanest

Definition of inane

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : empty, insubstantial
2 : lacking significance, meaning, or point : silly inane comments

inane

noun
\ i-ˈnān How to pronounce inane (audio) \

Definition of inane (Entry 2 of 2)

: void or empty space a voyage into the limitless inane— V. G. Childe
Other Words from inane Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Can inane Be Used As a Noun? More Example Sentences Learn More about inane

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Other Words from inane

Adjective

inanely adverb
inaneness \ i-​ˈnān-​nəs How to pronounce inaneness (audio) \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for inane

Synonyms: Adjective

empty, meaningless, pointless, senseless

Antonyms: Adjective

meaningful, significant

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Choose the Right Synonym for inane

Adjective

insipid, vapid, flat, jejune, banal, inane mean devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character. insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest. an insipid romance with platitudes on every page vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit. an exciting story given a vapid treatment flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest. although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance. a jejune and gassy speech banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy. a banal tale of unrequited love inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality. an inane interpretation of the play

Can inane Be Used As a Noun?

Noun

The adjective "inane" is now most commonly encountered as a synonym of "shallow" or "silly." But when this word first entered the English language in the early 17th century, it was used to mean "empty" or "insubstantial." It was this older sense that gave rise, in the latter half of the 17th century, to the noun "inane," which often serves as a poetic reference to the void of space ("the illimitable inane," "the limitless inane," "the incomprehensible inane"). This noun usage has not always been viewed in a favorable light. Samuel Johnson, in his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), says of "inane" that "it is used licentiously for a substantive," which in current English means that it is used as a noun without regard to the rules.

Examples of inane in a Sentence

Adjective

 All around us swirls the battering of gargantuan films, Styrofoam epics with megatons of special effects, gleefully inane adolescent films, horror films that really are horrible. — Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 15 Mar. 2004 The surfeit of home runs is a sop to all the Philistines who require inane diversions like programmed races between electronic dots on the scoreboard to make it through a two-hit shutout. — Nicholas Dawidoff, New York Times Magazine, 4 Apr. 1999 Though feminist leaders are mostly aligned with those sentiments, they can't separate their quest for economic equity from the inane political correctness of their extremist sisters. — Mary Matalin, Newsweek, 25 Oct. 1993 I quickly tired of their inane comments. The film's plot is inane and full of clichĂ©s.

Noun

 And thus likewise we sometimes speak of place, distance, or bulk in the great inane beyond the confines of the world. — John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1689

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

 While scriptwriters Joseph Loeb III and Michael Rosenblatt have interlaced Teen Wolf with some mild teen identity questions regarding Fox and his self-image, the film is ultimately bland and inane. — Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Teen Wolf': THR's 1985 Review," 23 Aug. 2019 These seemingly inane questions suffocated us and made the reality of our task feel like a knife in the heart. — Washington Post, "My daughter’s excited to start driving. My feelings are complicated.," 17 July 2019 In this way, Jodie may become to Gen Z what Daria was for so many Gen X-ers: An emblem of sanity, humor, and clear thinking in an often-inane environment. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "A spinoff of MTV’s “Daria” will take on the Gen Z experience of working in tech," 17 June 2019 That gave us an inane skit in a toilet stall but cut off articulate and moving speeches that gave a hint of the struggle amid the joy of the spotlight. — latimes.com, "Feedback: After the Tonys, readers want to know — are awards shows broken?," 15 June 2019 No degree of minimalist aesthetic merits such inane, impractical storage, in my humble opinion. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "The Fascinating Reason Bobby Berk Stores Books This Way on Queer Eye," 9 May 2019 The format also leads to the kind bad optics that Republicans were trying to avoid: Grassley, who looks and sounds like white male privilege personified, constantly interrupting a woman for somewhat inane reasons. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The Christine Blasey Ford hearing isn’t about finding the truth. It’s just a cross-examination.," 27 Sep. 2018 Shortly thereafter, the FBI began to attack the witnesses with perhaps the most inane disinformation ever—alleging the witnesses actually observed a private jet at 34,000 ft. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "Debunking Myths About United Flight 93," 10 Sep. 2018 Two years ago, debating points were all over the map, with the computer able to make one or two really brilliant statements and five or ten inane statements. — Edward C. Baig And Ryan Suppe, USA TODAY, "IBM shows off an artificial intelligence that can debate a human and change some minds," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inane.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of inane

Adjective

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1677, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for inane

Adjective and Noun

Latin inanis

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More Definitions for inane

inane

adjective
How to pronounce inane (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of inane

: very silly or stupid

See the full definition for inane in the English Language Learners Dictionary

inane

adjective
\ i-ˈnān How to pronounce inane (audio) \

Kids Definition of inane

: silly and pointless inane remarks

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