asinine

[ as-uh-nahyn ]
See synonyms for: asinineasininity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. foolish, unintelligent, or silly; stupid: It is surprising that supposedly intelligent people can make such asinine statements.

  2. of or like an ass: asinine obstinacy;asinine features.

Origin of asinine

1
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin asinīnus, equivalent to asin(us)ass1 + -īnus-ine1

Other words from asinine

  • as·i·nine·ly, adverb
  • as·i·nin·i·ty [as-uh-nin-i-tee], /ˌæs əˈnɪn ɪ ti/, noun

Words Nearby asinine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use asinine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for asinine

asinine

/ (ˈæsɪˌnaɪn) /


adjective
  1. obstinate or stupid

  2. resembling an ass

Origin of asinine

1
C16: from Latin asinīnus, from asinus ass 1

Derived forms of asinine

  • asininely, adverb
  • asininity (ˌæsɪˈnɪnɪtɪ), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012