inane

American  

[ih-neyn] / ɪˈneɪn /

adjective

1. lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly.

   inane questions.

   Synonyms:

   pointless, absurd

2. empty; void.

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noun

1. something that is empty or void, especially the void of infinite space.

inane British  

/ ɪˈneɪn /

adjective

1. senseless, unimaginative, or empty; unintelligent

   inane remarks

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Usage

What are other ways to say inane? Something inane lacks sense, significance, or ideas. Do you know when to use inane, fatuous, silly, foolish, stupid, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Other Word Forms

• inanely adverb

Etymology

Origin of inane

First recorded in 1655–65, inane is from the Latin word inānis

Example Sentences

Students are already using large language models to answer questions about deeper things, and the responses range from the inane to the untrue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

This was the rarest of offerings in today’s endlessly inane sports media ecosystem:

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 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

I stammered inane commentary as my eyes tried to refocus.

From Slate • Jun. 22, 2025

We Prices are altogether thought to be peculiarly well-intentioned, and inane.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver