fatuous

English

Etymology

From Latin fatuus (“foolish, silly, simple”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfæt.ju.əs/

• Audio (Berkshire)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfætʃ.u.əs/

Adjective

fatuous (comparative more fatuous, superlative most fatuous)

1. Obnoxiously stupid; vacantly silly; content in one's foolishness.
   • 2004, Frank Tallis, Love Sick: Love as a Mental Illness (page 46)

     A fatuous love affair can easily result in a fatuous marriage. A couple who hardly know each other and, indeed, may not even really like each other, make a commitment that has little chance of being honoured.

   • 2020 December 2, Christian Wolmar, “Wales offers us glimpse of an integrated transport policy”, in Rail, page 56:

     While much publicity is given to fatuous 'reversing Beeching' ideas, the reality is that the real investment is focused on expanding the road network - [...].

Synonyms

• (obnoxiously stupid): childish, imbecilic, inane, insipid, puerile

Related terms

• fatuity
• fatuously
• fatuousness
• infatuate

Translations

obnoxiously stupid, vacantly silly, content in one's foolishness

• Armenian: տխմար (hy) (txmar)
• Bulgarian: глу́пав (bg) (glúpav), безсми́слен (bg) (bezsmíslen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 愚笨 (zh) (yúbèn), 蠢的 (zh) (chǔn de), 愚昧 (zh) (yúmèi)

• Dutch: dwaas (nl), onwijs (nl)
• Estonian: kohtlane
• Finnish: älytön (fi), typerä (fi)
• French: imbécile (fr), stupide (fr), niais (fr)
• German: töricht (de), albern (de)
• Greek: ανόητος (el) m (anóitos), κουτός (el) m (koutós)
• Irish: baoth, díchéillí, amadánta, baothánta

• Italian: fatuo (it)
• Japanese: 愚かな (ja) (おろかな, oroka na)
• Latin: fatuus, stultus
• Plautdietsch: sennlooss
• Polish: głupi (pl), niedorzeczny (pl)
• Portuguese: fátuo (pt)
• Russian: глу́пый (ru) (glúpyj), дура́цкий (ru) (duráckij), бессмы́сленный (ru) (bessmýslennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: baoth, amaideach, gòrach
• Spanish: fatuo (es)