asinine

English

WOTD – 9 January 2008

Etymology

From Latin asinīnus (“of a donkey or ass”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

asinine (comparative more asinine, superlative most asinine)

  1. Very foolish; failing to exercise intelligence or judgment or rationality.
    • 1922, Michael Arlen, “2/2/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days‎:
      They danced on silently, softly. Their feet played tricks to the beat of the tireless measure, that exquisitely asinine blare which is England's punishment for having lost America.
  2. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of donkeys.
    “Hamor, peel me an onion,” said the sybaritic troll to his asinine companion.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

French

Adjective

asinine

  1. feminine of asinin

Italian

Adjective

asinine

  1. feminine plural of asinino

Anagrams

Latin

Adjective

asinīne

  1. vocative masculine singular of asinīnus
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