asinine

English

WOTD – 9 January 2008    

Etymology

From Latin asinīnus (“of a donkey or ass”).

Pronunciation

• (RP, US) IPA: /ˈæs.ɪ.naɪn/, /ˈæs.ə.naɪn/, X-SAMPA: /"{s.I.naIn/, /"{s.@.naIn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

asinine (comparative more asinine, superlative most asinine)

1. Failing to exercise intelligence or judgment; ridiculously below average rationality.
   • 1922, Michael Arlen, chapter 2/2/2, “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days^[1]:

     They danced on silently, softly. Their feet played tricks to the beat of the tireless measure, that exquisitely asinine blare which is England's punishment for having lost America.

2. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of donkeys.

Synonyms

• (failing to exercise intelligence or judgment): foolish, obstinate

Derived terms

• asininely
• asininity

Translations

failing to exercise intelligence or judgment

• Dutch: oerdom (nl), achterlijk (nl)
• Finnish: typerä (fi), aasimainen (fi)
• Macedonian: глуп (mk) (glup) m
• Polish: debilny (pl) m

• Russian: глупый (ru) (glúpyj), дебильный (ru) (debílʹnyj), ослиный (ru) (oslínyj)
• Spanish: estúpido (es)
• Swedish: åsnelik (sv), enfaldig (sv)

of or relating to a donkey

• Bulgarian: магарешки (bg) (magareški)
• Dutch: ezelachtig (nl)
• Finnish: aasi- (fi), aasin- (fi), aasimainen (fi)
• French: asinin (fr)
• Italian: asinino (it) m
• Latin: asinīnus (la)

• Macedonian: магарешки (mk) (magáreški) m
• Polish: ośli (pl) m
• Russian: ослиный (ru) (oslínyj)
• Spanish: asnal (es)
• Swedish: åsnelik (sv)

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Italian

Adjective

asinine f

1. Feminine plural form of asinino

Anagrams

• insanie

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Latin

Adjective

asinīne

1. vocative masculine singular of asinīnus