fatuous

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Polysemaniacs cannot read or hear the word fatuous without conjuring up some image or other of fatness, possibly a paunchy wise-guy at a party.

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. adjective Foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way: "'Don't you like the poor lonely bachelor?' he yammered in a fatuous way” (Sinclair Lewis). See Synonyms at foolish.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (3)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples

  • Polysemaniacs cannot read or hear the word fatuous without conjuring up some image or other of fatness, possibly a paunchy wise-guy at a party. —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XII No 3
  • Why did it always have to show its fatuous, grinning self and make garbage of other-wise simple decisions? —  Sentenced To Prism
  • "That still doesn't absolve you from a fatuous, unauthorized raid," Crosse said coldly. —  Noble House
  • I am here to balance that bit of fatuous -- fatuous suck-upping! " —  The Jawa Report
  • The word fatuous has a suggestible: fat. —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XII No 3
 

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Fatuous has been looked up 926 times, favorited 3 times, listed 91 times, and commented on 3 times.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

idiotic ·  childish ·  foolish ·  naive ·  smug ·  irrational ·  maudlin ·  superstitious ·  thoughtless ·  condescend ·  egotistical ·  insolent
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. From Latin fatuus.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. = Spanish Portuguese Italian fatuo, from Latin fatuus, foolish, simple, silly, rarely insipid, tasteless (hence, through this sense, ult. English fade, a., q. v.); as a noun, fatuus, feminine fatua, a fool, a professional jester.
 

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/ˈfætʃjuəs/
by American Heritage

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