fatuous

American  

[fach-oo-uhs] / ˈfætʃ u əs /

adjective

1. foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly; witless.

   Synonyms:

   dull-witted, dull, dense, dim, brainless

2. Archaic. unreal; illusory.

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fatuous British  

/ ˈfætjʊəs /

adjective

1. complacently or inanely foolish

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Usage

What are other ways to say fatuous? The adjective fatuous describes people or things that are foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner. Do you know when to use fatuous, foolish, silly, inane, stupid, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

• fatuously adverb
• fatuousness noun

Etymology

Origin of fatuous

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin fatuus “silly, foolish, idiotic”; -ous

Example Sentences

The concept is simple but wildly effective, with enough force to push the viewer past many of the film’s fatuous elements.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

But at least they made an attempt, however fatuous, to persuade the American people and the country’s international allies that there was a reason for doing so.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2026

You’d be unwise to look to the movies for economic insight—this one amounts to an extended fatuous argument that an individual who behaved like a corporate restructuring would be a psychopath.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

And regardless, it’s Black X now, not necessarily in the Malcolm sense but in the more fatuous identity crisis sense.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2024

The irritating thing was that in the racket of voices Winston could hardly hear what Parsons was saying, and was constantly having to ask for some fatuous remark to be repeated.

From "1984" by George Orwell