ninny

American  

[nin-ee] / ˈnɪn i /

noun

ninnies plural

1. a fool or simpleton.

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ninny British  

/ ˈnɪnɪ /

noun

1. a dull-witted person

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Other Word Forms

• ninnyish
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ninny

1585–95; perhaps generic use of pet form of Innocent proper name; see -y ²

Explanation

Use the word ninny for someone who's incredibly foolish — in other words, a dope or a nitwit. You might warn your brother not to be a ninny when he's just about to pop an entire hot chile in his mouth. Ninny is apt for someone who's silly and stupid, but it's also insulting and should be used with care. There's a certain gentle, teasing quality to ninny (as opposed to a word like idiot), but you're still going to get in trouble if you call your math teacher a ninny for giving the class a pop quiz. The word's origin is a bit of a mystery, though it may come from an innocent or the Italian word for "child," ninno.

Example Sentences

Jane Austen wrote takedowns of this kind of ninny two centuries ago — how fun to see Pike update her twit to the post-Y2K era.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2024

Mr. Graham, with the work’s stark conclusion, leaves you feeling like a simplistic ninny for ever thinking it might have been.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2017

When Life Is Beautiful won best foreign language film, its director Roberto Benigni won the hearts of the world by clambering across the backs of the auditorium’s chairs like a terrible manchild ninny.

From The Guardian • Feb. 24, 2017

Achilles is a besotted fool; Patroclus a figure both narcissistic and stupid; Hector a fraud; Ulysses a hustler; Ajax a lout; Paris a ninny.

From Washington Post • Nov. 24, 2015

Later, when I told Doreen about his curious behavior, she said, "You ninny, he wanted his tip."

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath