fatuous

[ fach-oo-uhs ]
See synonyms for: fatuousfatuousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly; witless.

  2. Archaic. unreal; illusory.

Origin of fatuous

1
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin fatuus “silly, foolish, idiotic”; see -ous

Other words for fatuous

Other words from fatuous

  • fat·u·ous·ly, adverb
  • fat·u·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby fatuous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fatuous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fatuous

fatuous

/ (ˈfætjʊəs) /


adjective
  1. complacently or inanely foolish

Origin of fatuous

1
C17: from Latin fatuus; related to fatiscere to gape

Derived forms of fatuous

  • fatuously, adverb
  • fatuousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012