fatuous

adjective

fat·u·ous ˈfa-chü-əs How to pronounce fatuous (audio)

-tyü-

: complacently or inanely foolish : silly

a fatuous remark

a fatuous socialite with a near-pathological love of parties and shopping

Janet Maslin

fatuously adverb

fatuousness noun

Did you know?

"I am two fools, I know, / For loving, and for saying so / In whining Poetry," wrote John Donne, simultaneously confessing to both infatuation and fatuousness. As any love-struck fool can attest, infatuation can make buffoons of the best of us. So it should come as no surprise that the words fatuous and infatuation derive from the same Latin root, fatuus, which means "foolish." Both terms have been part of English since the 17th century. Infatuation followed the earlier verb infatuate, a fatuus descendant that once meant "to make foolish" but that now usually means "to inspire with a foolish love or admiration."

Did you know?

What is the origin of infatuated?

When we speak of someone being infatuated it very often is in relationship to that person having seemingly taken leave of his or her senses, especially in a romantic context (“he was so infatuated that he could not remember what day of the week it was”). This is fitting, as the word shares an origin with the word fatuous, which means complacently or inanely foolish. Both words come from the Latin fatuus (“foolish”), although fatuous is not often used in the romantic contexts in which we find infatuate. When used with a preposition infatuated is typically followed by with.

Synonyms

airheaded
birdbrained
bonehead
boneheaded
brain-dead
brainless
bubbleheaded
chuckleheaded
dense
dim
dim-witted
doltish
dopey
dopy
dorky [slang]
dull
dumb
dunderheaded
empty-headed
gormless [chiefly British]
half-witted
knuckleheaded
lamebrain
lamebrained
lunkheaded
mindless
oafish
obtuse
opaque
pinheaded
senseless
simple
slow
slow-witted
soft
softheaded
stupid
thick
thick-witted
thickheaded
unintelligent
unsmart
vacuous
weak-minded
witless

See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

the fatuous questions that the audience members asked after the lecture suggested to the oceanographer that they had understood little ignoring the avalanche warnings, the fatuous skiers continued on their way down the trail

Recent Examples on the Web Bush in order to scare people with his fatuous Hitler analogy, and the peace camp in order to scare people with the prospect of heavy losses.

Christian Lorentzen, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 Director Angus MacLane follows orders like a toy soldier, repeating Toy Story’s fatuous tone in the way Buzz (now voiced by Chris Evans) accentuates the goofy hollow heroism.

Armond White, National Review, 17 June 2022 His play, which might have been smashed by the insensitive or botched by the fatuous, has fallen into expert hands.

Claudia Cassidy, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2022 Her involvement personalizes developments that are otherwise divided in collective memory between arid art history and fatuous mythologizing.

Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 Un chant d’amour, a film the Moonlight generation knows nothing about but that Meise relates to for its individual morality — a lost idea in this era of fatuous political conformity.

Armond White, National Review, 11 Mar. 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his mouthpieces are weaving the most audacious and fatuous alternative reality surrounding any 21st-century conflict -- one that renders current diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war meaningless and futile.

Stephen Collinson, CNN, 11 Mar. 2022 Al Qaeda was a relatively minor threat magnified into an existential menace, including by intellectuals conversant in fatuous historical analogies.

Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 10 Mar. 2022 Belgian detective, was delightfully fatuous in his enchantment with his own intellect.

Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 See More

单词	fatuousness
释义	fatuous adjective fat·u·ous ˈfa-chü-əs -tyü- : complacently or inanely foolish : silly a fatuous remark a fatuous socialite with a near-pathological love of parties and shopping Janet Maslin fatuously adverb fatuousness noun Did you know? "I am two fools, I know, / For loving, and for saying so / In whining Poetry," wrote John Donne, simultaneously confessing to both infatuation and fatuousness. As any love-struck fool can attest, infatuation can make buffoons of the best of us. So it should come as no surprise that the words fatuous and infatuation derive from the same Latin root, fatuus, which means "foolish." Both terms have been part of English since the 17th century. Infatuation followed the earlier verb infatuate, a fatuus descendant that once meant "to make foolish" but that now usually means "to inspire with a foolish love or admiration." Did you know? What is the origin of infatuated? When we speak of someone being infatuated it very often is in relationship to that person having seemingly taken leave of his or her senses, especially in a romantic context (“he was so infatuated that he could not remember what day of the week it was”). This is fitting, as the word shares an origin with the word fatuous, which means complacently or inanely foolish. Both words come from the Latin fatuus (“foolish”), although fatuous is not often used in the romantic contexts in which we find infatuate. When used with a preposition infatuated is typically followed by with. Synonyms airheaded birdbrained bonehead boneheaded brain-dead brainless bubbleheaded chuckleheaded dense dim dim-witted doltish dopey dopy dorky [slang] dull dumb dunderheaded empty-headed gormless [chiefly British] half-witted knuckleheaded lamebrain lamebrained lunkheaded mindless oafish obtuse opaque pinheaded senseless simple slow slow-witted soft softheaded stupid thick thick-witted thickheaded unintelligent unsmart vacuous weak-minded witless See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences the fatuous questions that the audience members asked after the lecture suggested to the oceanographer that they had understood little ignoring the avalanche warnings, the fatuous skiers continued on their way down the trail Recent Examples on the Web Bush in order to scare people with his fatuous Hitler analogy, and the peace camp in order to scare people with the prospect of heavy losses. Christian Lorentzen, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 Director Angus MacLane follows orders like a toy soldier, repeating Toy Story’s fatuous tone in the way Buzz (now voiced by Chris Evans) accentuates the goofy hollow heroism. Armond White, National Review, 17 June 2022 His play, which might have been smashed by the insensitive or botched by the fatuous, has fallen into expert hands. Claudia Cassidy, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2022 Her involvement personalizes developments that are otherwise divided in collective memory between arid art history and fatuous mythologizing. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 Un chant d’amour, a film the Moonlight generation knows nothing about but that Meise relates to for its individual morality — a lost idea in this era of fatuous political conformity. Armond White, National Review, 11 Mar. 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his mouthpieces are weaving the most audacious and fatuous alternative reality surrounding any 21st-century conflict -- one that renders current diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war meaningless and futile. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 11 Mar. 2022 Al Qaeda was a relatively minor threat magnified into an existential menace, including by intellectuals conversant in fatuous historical analogies. Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 10 Mar. 2022 Belgian detective, was delightfully fatuous in his enchantment with his own intellect. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Latin fatuus foolish First Known Use 1633, in the meaning defined above fatuousness noun as in insanity lack of good sense or judgment the sheer fatuousness of the theory precludes any serious discussion Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance insanity madness absurdity simplicity preposterousness foolishness witlessness unwisdom inanity fatuity imbecility daftness silliness craziness dottiness brainlessness asininity wackiness stupidity lunacy zaniness idiocy folly stupidness nuttiness obtuseness senselessness balminess nonsensicalness irrationality dullness mindlessness simplemindedness feeblemindedness unreasonableness oafishness dopiness ridiculousness slowness dumbness simpleness vacuity fallacy denseness ludicrousness dulness dippiness doltishness kookiness weirdness gormlessness dim-wittedness laughableness Antonyms & Near Antonyms sagacity prudence wisdom soundness sanity rationality sensibleness reasonableness validity sapience sagaciousness logicality perception insight reasonability discernment sageness logicalness percipience rationalness See More
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fatuous

adjective

Did you know?

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun