jejune

American  

[ji-joon] / dʒɪˈdʒun /

adjective

1. without interest or significance; dull; insipid.

   a jejune novel.

2. juvenile; immature; childish.

   jejune behavior.

3. lacking knowledge or experience; uninformed.

   jejune attempts to design a house.

4. deficient or lacking in nutritive value.

   a jejune diet.

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jejune British  

/ dʒɪˈdʒuːn /

adjective

1. simple; naive; unsophisticated

2. insipid; dull; dry

3. lacking nourishment; insubstantial or barren

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Other Word Forms

• jejunely adverb
• jejuneness noun
• jejunity noun

Etymology

Origin of jejune

First recorded in 1605–15, jejune is from the Latin word jējūnus empty, poor, mean

Explanation

Use the adjective jejune to describe something that is uninteresting or insignificant. Many people claim to find celebrity gossip jejune, but ask them about a recent movie star scandal and chances are they know all about it. Jejune can also describe something that’s immature or simplistic. All that actress could say about her latest movie was that it was “Super fun”? That’s a pretty jejune comment. Basically jejune means lacking substance. It originally comes from the Latin word jejunus, which means “fasting,” so when something is jejune, it’s figuratively empty — devoid of intellectual nourishment.

Example Sentences

He is a mediocrity while the jejune young man running riot in the palace is a miraculous, world-changing prodigy.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

And to feel jejune if we slip from that lofty, arid plane to delight in something here and now.

From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2023

“It’s a very unusual situation to have opposition research like that especially one that, on its face, had a number of clear mistakes and in a somewhat jejune analysis,” Barr said.

From Fox News • May 17, 2019

McCaskill deftly filleted Josh Hawley, who has been in his job since 2016, by implicitly contrasting her years of experience with his jejune overconfidence.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 22, 2018

Ben “Pimple-face” Meecham often acts jejune when he forces his charming sister to tell him the meaning of words.’”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy