The adjective "inane" is now most commonly encountered as a synonym of "shallow" or "silly." But when this word first entered the English language in the early 17th century, it was used to mean "empty" or "insubstantial." It was this older sense that gave rise, in the latter half of the 17th century, to the noun "inane ...

What is an example of inane?

The definition of inane is someone or something that is dumb, pointless, silly or stupid. An example of inane is having the same stupid discussion about the weather with your neighbor every day while you wait for the bus. Lacking sense or substance.

How do you use inane in a sentence?

The little boy always got in trouble for acting inane in class instead of staying on topic. I have never seen the strict professor act inane , so she surprised us when she made a joke. The old couple likes to act inane by dancing around in front of the children.