Words / C2

i-NAYN/ɪˈneɪn/

Inane means empty of sense; pointlessly silly: inane remarks, an inane grin. Silly and stupid are everyday; vacuous (already in the dictionary) is a close C2 twin. Inane is not insane. Do not call a short, accurate date inane because it is not a joke.

Meaning

Silly, empty, and without meaning (disapproving).

Examples

• “An inane ice-breaker wasted the only hour with the statistician.”
• “Silly is everyday. Vacuous is empty-headed (already in C2). Insane is mad — a lookalike. A numbered fact can be dry without being inane. An ice-breaker that eats the methods slot is.”

Good to know

Pointlessly silly; empty. Everyday: silly. Close: vacuous. Mix-up: insane. Brevity with a date is not inanity.

Near in meaning

silly

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