New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FATUOUS

pronunciation: [FA-tchoo-əs]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, early 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Silly and pointless.

 

Examples:

"He thought the decorative pillows were fatuous, but they made his mom happy."

"The teacher was frustrated by the fatuous questions that showed the students hadn't been paying attention."

About Fatuous

The "fat" in this adjective is misleading — "fatuous" has nothing to do with weight. Instead, the origin can be traced to the Latin word "fatuus," meaning "foolish." You might recognize this root in the word "infatuation," which refers to a silly, foolish crush.

 

Did you Know?

The word "fatuous" is an adjective used to describe someone lacking in intelligence, or something that is pointless. But before you call someone else "fatuous," make sure you're not being inane, puerile, infantile, vacuous, asinine, witless, harebrained, preposterous, or risible yourself.