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Can inane Be Used As a Noun?
Inane suggests emptiness in thought or meaning, and as a noun it has similar use, as in "thoughts making excursions into the incomprehensible inane" (the example is attributed to the 17th-century philosopher John Locke). The noun is not often used nowadays, but the adjective fills the void.
Synonyms
Examples of inane in a Sentence
Adjective
All around us swirls the battering of gargantuan films, Styrofoam epics with megatons of special effects, gleefully inane adolescent films, horror films that really are horrible.
—
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 15 Mar. 2004
The surfeit of home runs is a sop to all the Philistines who require inane diversions like programmed races between electronic dots on the scoreboard to make it through a two-hit shutout.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, New York Times Magazine, 4 Apr. 1999
Though feminist leaders are mostly aligned with those sentiments, they can't separate their quest for economic equity from the inane political correctness of their extremist sisters.
—Mary Matalin, Newsweek, 25 Oct. 1993
I quickly tired of their inane comments.
The film's plot is inane and full of clichés.
Noun
And thus likewise we sometimes speak of place, distance, or bulk in the great inane beyond the confines of the world.
—John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1689
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 15 Mar. 2004
The surfeit of home runs is a sop to all the Philistines who require inane diversions like programmed races between electronic dots on the scoreboard to make it through a two-hit shutout.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, New York Times Magazine, 4 Apr. 1999
Though feminist leaders are mostly aligned with those sentiments, they can't separate their quest for economic equity from the inane political correctness of their extremist sisters.
—Mary Matalin, Newsweek, 25 Oct. 1993
I quickly tired of their inane comments.
The film's plot is inane and full of clichés.
Noun
And thus likewise we sometimes speak of place, distance, or bulk in the great inane beyond the confines of the world.
—John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1689
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Klimek, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2024
Perhaps counterintuitively, Succession’s depiction of the workings of the digital media industry as ruthless and inane has actually motivated real digital media workers to actively interact with the show online.
—Amos Barshad, WIRED, 26 May 2023
Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2022
My guess is that the patriotic disguise is hollow and that the inane, formulaic Maverick is a test.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 May 2022
See all Example Sentences for inane 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Even in light of how argumentative Suzie has been with Detective Neck Brace, this inane comment feels like gaslighting.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2024
Perhaps counterintuitively, Succession’s depiction of the workings of the digital media industry as ruthless and inane has actually motivated real digital media workers to actively interact with the show online.
—Amos Barshad, WIRED, 26 May 2023
Noun
June 19: [At the disco Private Eyes, with Greg and friends]: spent a couple of hours amidst the inane thumping music.
—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2022
My guess is that the patriotic disguise is hollow and that the inane, formulaic Maverick is a test.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 May 2022
See all Example Sentences for inane
Dictionary Entries Near inane
Cite this Entry
“Inane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inane. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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