Make Your Point: FATUOUS

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pronounce FATUOUS:

FAT chew us

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

Our word fatuous comes from the Latin fatuus, meaning "silly, foolish, or __sip_d."

Can you come up with that last synonym? We use it to describe things that are stupid in a dull, boring, empty, tasteless way.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

Fatuous things and people are foolish and stupid.

We've used this word in English since the 1600s. And we've kept the meaning exactly the same—check it out: "Mathematicians are fatuous" (1633); "What fatuous thing is Fate" (1652); "The humor is glib and fatuous" (2023).

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "vacant eyes and a fatuous smile;" "Their comments are utterly fatuous."

Other forms:

The adverb is "fatuously."

The noun is "fatuity," pronounced "fuh TYOO uh tee." Hear it.

how to use it:

"Fatuous" is an insulting, sophisticated, semi-common word.

You might talk about fatuous people and their fatuous comments and facial expressions, or their fatuous art or music or writing.

Or, get a little abstract and talk about people's fatuous confidence or narcissism, their fatuous good will, their fatuous assumptions or beliefs, etc.

You'll sound mean or snooty whenever you call something fatuous. And you'll sound even snootier if you use the noun, "fatuity." You might point out the fatuity of some comment, idea, concept, or performance. If you must!

examples:

"As [the bay mare Nellie] walked about the yellowing hillsides or worked at easy tasks, her lips were curled in a perpetual fatuous smile."
— John Steinbeck, The Red Pony, 1933

"There's perverse comfort in watching things go smash in a safe, contained environment... That is the appeal of Mischief Theater's 'The Play That Goes Wrong'... Cast and crew alike must act badly well, a task achieved with particular cringing charm by Mr. Hearn, who flashes his upper teeth as if they were a badge of fatuity."
— Ben Brantley, The Guardian, 2 April 2017

has this page helped you understand "fatuous"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "fatuous" without saying "inane" or "moronic."

try it out:

Fill in the blank: "I don't want to (do something). I find it absolutely fatuous."

Example 1: "I don't want to subscribe to her vlogs or watch her work out at the gym while she hocks leggings, only $800 if you use her discount code. I find it absolutely fatuous."

Example 2: "[John le Carré] once said he would never accept a knighthood. 'I don't want to be Sir David, Lord David, King David. I don't want any of those things. I find it absolutely fatuous.'"
— Sarah Lyall, quoting John le Carré, New York Times, 13 December 2020

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "The Rock & Roll Hall of Game."

It's inspired by a Jeopardy! category called Foodstock.

I'll give you a clue, and you'll try to come up with the tweaked name of a group or solo artist from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For example, if I give you "They're an American boy band fond of surfing, California, rich vocal harmonies, and helping the Mario Brothers rescue the princess," then you give me "The Peach Boys" (a playful blend of "The Beach Boys" and "Princess Peach" from the Mario games).

Try this one today: Judging from their name, and from the nostalgic sounds of songs like "Proud Mary" and "Bad Moon Rising," you'd guess that these American rockers were from the deep south. They're actually from California. When they're not rolling on a river, they're picking off zombies and keeping the human race alive in PC games like Project Zomboid and Left 4 Dead 2.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. Opposites of FATUOUS include

A. THIN, LEAN, and FRUGAL.
B. KIND, SWEET, and CONSIDERATE.
C. WISE, PURPOSEFUL, and SUBSTANTIAL.

2. A fatuous headline might read "_____."

A. Tortoise Theft Leaves Owner Shell-Shocked
B. Kate Wore Sheer Blue Dress for Garden Party
C. Small Acts of Kindness Are Universal: Global Study Finds People Help Each Other Every 2 Minutes

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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