1
as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
the fatuous questions that the audience members asked after the lecture suggested to the oceanographer that they had understood little
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
ignoring the avalanche warnings, the fatuous skiers continued on their way down the trail
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fatuous
This fatuous facial gesture is immediately relatable but also, as Locke discusses below, one that can be read in a number of different ways.
—
Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Schools must accept that mission statements without curriculum alignment are fatuous; the way schools define themselves is through the experience that flows from their curriculum.
—Ray Ravaglia, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Neither Berlanti nor Gilroy believe in them beyond the fatuous setup of their competitiveness with each other.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 July 2024
Read their fatuous decision and weep for your country.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for fatuous
Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Schools must accept that mission statements without curriculum alignment are fatuous; the way schools define themselves is through the experience that flows from their curriculum.
—Ray Ravaglia, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Neither Berlanti nor Gilroy believe in them beyond the fatuous setup of their competitiveness with each other.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 July 2024
Read their fatuous decision and weep for your country.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for fatuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatuous
Adjective
-
In one sense, this isn’t an entirely stupid proposition.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
3 May 2025
-
Vel rails against the offender, saying her lover was the kind of warrior the Ghor rebels are trying to be and that her loss is both incalculable and stupid.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the Liberals are an electoral machine—something of a rarity on the center-left—that would be foolish to bet against.—
Daniel Block,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
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His cigars weren’t as nasty as his habit of chasing bad money with worse—high living and foolish investments, with second-rate writing meant to plug the gap.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
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Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
The biggest change, however, has been in fly ball frequency - his fly ball rate is now an absurd 50.0%, higher than any 2024 MLB regular.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
What else can be said about Judge’s absurd start to this season?—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
The non-violent struggle for freedom is a slow but steady process.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
5 May 2025
-
The facade was one of drama but for Preston, the reality has been a slow, weary decline.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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But many will, in situations where they’re allowed to stretch out, go deep, get silly, or eat hot wings while trying to answer questions.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2025
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Have a Dance Party Clear the furniture, cue up a playlist with all of Mom's favorite hits (and a few silly, kid-friendly jams), and let loose.—
Laura Broadwell,
Parents,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Style them with a simple tank for a casual day out, or add a blazer and ballet flats for a more polished airport look.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2025
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While rectal cancers can be detected with a simple MRI scan, other cancer types are more difficult.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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And jingoism, idiotic, is not patriotism.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
7 Mar. 2025
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But, here, the characters suffer from the horror film syndrome of making one idiotic decision after another because that’s what the film requires to send the action in its intended direction.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fatuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatuous. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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