2. Without reality; illusory, like the ignis fatuus.
[1913 Webster]
Thence fatuous fires and meteors take their birth. --Danham. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
fatuous — I adjective absurd, absurdly foolish, addled, asinine, brainless, deficient in reason, destitute of reason, dumb, fatuitous, fatuus, foolish, idiotic, ill advised, illogical, imbecilic, inane, incapable of managing one s own affairs, inept,… … Law dictionary
fatuous — c.1600, from L. fatuus foolish, insipid, silly; of uncertain origin (Buck suggests originally “stricken” in the head). Related: Fatuously; fatuousness … Etymology dictionary
fatuous — asinine, silly, foolish, *simple Analogous words: idiotic, imbecile, moronic (see corresponding nouns at FOOL): *fond, infatuated, besotted, insensate Antonyms: sensible Contrasted words: sane, prudent, judicious, *wise, sage, sapient … New Dictionary of Synonyms
fatuous — [adj] stupid absurd, asinine, birdbrained*, boneheaded*, brainless*, dense, dull, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, inane, insensate, jerky*, lamebrained*, ludicrous, lunatic, mad, mindless, moronic, puerile, sappy, silly, simple, vacuous, witless;… … New thesaurus
fatuous — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ silly and pointless. DERIVATIVES fatuity noun (pl. fatuities) fatuously adverb fatuousness noun. ORIGIN Latin fatuus foolish … English terms dictionary
fatuous — [fach′o͞o əs] adj. [L fatuus, foolish < IE base * bhāt , to strike > BATTER1] 1. complacently stupid or inane; silly; foolish 2. Archaic like an ignis fatuus; illusory; unreal SYN. SILLY fatuously adv. fatuousness n … English World dictionary
fatuous — [[t]fæ̱tʃuəs[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe a person, action, or remark as fatuous, you think that they are extremely silly, showing a lack of intelligence or thought. [FORMAL] The Chief was left speechless by this fatuous remark.… … English dictionary
fatuous — adjective Etymology: Latin fatuus foolish Date: 1633 complacently or inanely foolish ; silly < a fatuous remark > Synonyms: see simple • fatuously adverb • fatuousness noun … New Collegiate Dictionary
fatuous — adjective /ˈfæt.ju.əs,ˈfætʃ.u.əs/ Obnoxiously stupid, vacantly silly, content in ones foolishness. To compare the intelligence levels of men and women is itself fatuous. Syn: childish, imbecilic, inane, insipid, puerile … Wiktionary
fatuous — See foolish. See foolish, fatuous … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
