jejune

[ji-joon]

See more synonyms for jejune on Thesaurus.com

adjective

without interest or significance; dull; insipid: a jejune novel.
juvenile; immature; childish: jejune behavior.
lacking knowledge or experience; uninformed: jejune attempts to design a house.

deficient or lacking in nutritive value: a jejune diet.

Origin of jejune

First recorded in 1605–15, jejune is from the Latin word jējūnus empty, poor, mean

Related formsje·june·ly, adverbje·june·ness, je·ju·ni·ty, noun

Can be confusedjejune juvenile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for jejune

arid, banal, barren, bland, childish, dull, empty, flat, inane, innocuous, insipid, juvenile, meager, sterile, trite, unexciting, vapid

Examples from the Web for jejune

Contemporary Examples of jejune

Well, at least he came to see how jejune his earlier view was.
How Robert Nozick Turned on Robert Nozick
Michael Tomasky
May 22, 2012
My money is on Crusading Carly to oust the jejune and pointless Barbara Boxer.
Bet on California's GOP Amazons
Tunku Varadarajan
June 7, 2010
So there we have it: My money is on Crusading Carly to oust the jejune and pointless Barbara Boxer.
Bet on California's GOP Amazons
Tunku Varadarajan
June 7, 2010

Historical Examples of jejune

All the native annalists are jejune to an exasperating degree.
Ireland under the Tudors, Volume I (of II)
Richard Bagwell
The stuff was undeniably poor, though it was not so jejune as it seemed to Kent.
Cynthia
Leonard Merrick
The only thing to be regretted in the volume is the arid and jejune character of the style.
A Critic in Pall Mall
Oscar Wilde
How jejune and inconsiderable it seems in comparison with your great system!
The Letters of William James, Vol. II
William James
After some jejune remarks upon this question he drops into theology and winds up with a little sermon.
Flowers of Freethought
George W. Foote

British Dictionary definitions for jejune

jejune

adjective

simple; naive; unsophisticated
insipid; dull; dry
lacking nourishment; insubstantial or barren

Derived Formsjejunely, adverbjejuneness or jejunity, noun

Word Origin for jejune

C17: from Latin jējūnus hungry, empty

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

Word Origin and History for jejune

adj.

1610s, "dull in the mind, flat, insipid," from Latin ieiunus "empty, dry, barren," literally "fasting, hungry," of obscure origin.