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asinine

[ as-uh-nahyn ]
/ ˈæs əˌnaɪn /
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See synonyms for: asinine / asininity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
foolish, unintelligent, or silly; stupid: It is surprising that supposedly intelligent people can make such asinine statements.
of or like an ass: asinine obstinacy;asinine features.
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Origin of asinine

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin asinīnus, equivalent to asin(us)ass1 + -īnus-ine1

OTHER WORDS FROM asinine

as·i·nine·ly, adverbas·i·nin·i·ty [as-uh-nin-i-tee], /ˌæs əˈnɪn ɪ ti/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say asinine?

The adjective asinine describes things that are foolish or unintelligent, as in asinine remarks. Do you know when to use asinine, fatuous, silly, inane, stupid, and foolish? Find out on Thesaurus.com

How to use asinine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for asinine

asinine
/ (ˈæsɪˌnaɪn) /

adjective
obstinate or stupid
resembling an ass

Derived forms of asinine

asininely, adverbasininity (ˌæsɪˈnɪnɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for asinine

C16: from Latin asinīnus, from asinus ass 1
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
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