asinine

English

WOTD – 9 January 2008

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈæs.ɪ.naɪn/, /ˈæs.ə.naɪn/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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Adjective

asinine (comparative more asinine, superlative most asinine)

1. Very foolish; failing to exercise intelligence or judgement or rationality.

   Synonyms: foolish, obstinate

   • 1922, Michael Arlen, “2/2/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days‎^[1]:

     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.

   • 2023 August 24, Sarah Naftalis & Lauren Wells, “The Roast” (8:36 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[2], season 5, episode 8, spoken by Baron Afanas (Doug Jones):

     “Look at this festive assembly. All of us, gathered here together, chuckling at jokes and silliness.” [laughter] “And jackanapery.” [rim shots] “I guess there's only one thing left to say. What is this shit?” [rim shot] [laughter] “[laughs] Very good.” “You call yourselves vampires? Bah. This entire evening has been nothing but a pageant of insipid nonsense.” “[laughing] Yes.” “Worshipping at the altar of your own mediocre frivolity. A jester's hollow dance. And who is laughing?” “Yeah! [whoops] [grunts]” “Vampires are supposed to have blood orgies and slaughter circles. Gah! You have all gone soft. You even invited humans to this asinine affair.”

2. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of donkeys.

   Synonym: donkeyish

   • 1881, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, The Ingenious Knight: Don Quixote de la Mancha, page 84:

     Don Quixote had put himself but a little way ayont the village of Don Diego, when he encountered two apparent priests, or students, and two husbandmen, who came mounted on four asinine beasts.

Synonyms

• asinary (obsolete)
• assy (informal)

Derived terms

• asininely
• asinineness
• asininity

Related terms

• asinicide

Translations

failing to exercise intelligence or judgment

• Arabic: أَبْلَه m (ʔablah), سَخِيف m (saḵīf)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 愚蠢 (zh) (yúchǔn)

• Danish: dum (da), torsket, enfoldig
• Dutch: oerdom (nl), achterlijk (nl)
• Finnish: typerä (fi), aasimainen (fi)
• French: asinin (fr) m, stupide (fr) m or f
• German: dumm (de), dümmlich (de), dämlich (de), töricht (de)
• Hungarian: ostoba (hu)
• Japanese: 愚か (ja) (oroka)
• Macedonian: глуп m (glup)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: toskete, enfoldig (no), stupid (no)

• Persian: احمقانه (fa) (ahmaqâne)
• Polish: debilny m
• Portuguese: asinino
• Russian: глу́пый (ru) (glúpyj), деби́льный (ru) (debílʹnyj), осли́ный (ru) (oslínyj)
• Spanish: estúpido (es)
• Swedish: åsnelik, enfaldig (sv)

of or relating to a donkey

• Arabic: حِمَارِيّ m (ḥimāriyy)
• Bulgarian: магарешки (magareški)
• Dutch: ezelachtig (nl)
• Finnish: aasi- (fi), aasin- (fi), aasimainen (fi)
• French: asinin (fr)
• German: eselig, eselhaft
• Hungarian: szamaras (hu), szamárszerű
• Italian: asinino m
• Latin: asinīnus
• Macedonian: мага́решки m (magáreški)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: eselaktig

• Polish: ośli (pl) m
• Portuguese: asinino, asnal (pt)
• Romanian: măgăresc (ro)
• Russian: осли́ный (ru) (oslínyj)
• Spanish: asnal (es), asinino (es)
• Swedish: åsnelik

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.zi.nin/
• Homophone: asinines

Adjective

asinine

1. feminine singular of asinin

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ziˈni.ne/
• Rhymes: -ine
• Hyphenation: a‧si‧nì‧ne

Adjective

asinine

1. feminine plural of asinino

Anagrams

• insanie

Latin

Adjective

asinīne

1. vocative masculine singular of asinīnus