insipid

adjective in·sip·id \ in-ˈsi-pəd \

Definition of insipid

1 :lacking taste or savor :tasteless

insipid food

2 :lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge :dull, flat

insipid prose

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insipidity

play \ˌin-sə-ˈpi-də-tē\ noun

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insipidly

play \in-ˈsi-pəd-lē\ adverb

See insipid defined for English-language learners

See insipid defined for kids

Examples of insipid in a Sentence

While it is fashionable to write off that decade as an insipid time, one long pajama party, the '50s, in sport at least, were a revolutionary age. —Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 27 Dec. 1999–31 Jan. 2000
I'd climbed and fished in the emptiest reaches of the American West, but Alaska made the wilds of the lower 48 seem insipid and tame, a toothless simulacrum. —Jon Krakauer, Smithsonian, June 1995
By contrast, what we know as "popular" or "mass" culture has always conformed to the most insipid prejudices, and the least subtle formulations, of society. —Joyce Carol Oates, The Profane Art, 1983
One evening, over beers, Rasala complained about some insipid movie recently shown on TV. —Tracy Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine, 1981
The soup was rather insipid.
an apple pie with a mushy, insipid filling that strongly resembled soggy cardboard

Recent Examples of insipid from the Web

The manifesto launched this spring was insipid and backward-looking, dusting off tried and discarded ideas.

— The Economist, "The likely ladJeremy Corbyn: Britain’s most likely next prime minister," 23 Sep. 2017
What Happened suffers from stilted prose and insipid inspirational quotes, but that is par for the course for a political memoir.

— sarah jones, New Republic, "Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Get It," 13 Sep. 2017
Gorsuch, by comparison, is a Fox News anchor’s idea of a first-rate justice: an insipid ideologue peddling warmed-over dogmas.

— mark joseph stern, Slate Magazine, "Why rumors of a Gorsuch–Kagan clash at the Supreme Court are such a bombshell.," 18 Oct. 2017
Meanwhile England laboured to a late 1-0 win, with disappointing performances from 'playmaker' Raheem Sterling, insipid defensive midfield duo Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson and the invisible Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

— SI.com, "Michael Owen Tweets About His Boredom Watching England & it Backfires Horribly," 6 Oct. 2017
What could be more distant and insipid than an endlessly positive and one-sided account?

— jack dickey, SI.com, "David Price Is Missing the Mark in His Critique of Dennis Eckersley," 30 July 2017
But Game of Thrones, it must be said, also gave unto the world the Sand Snakes, three of the most insipid characters not just in Game of Thrones’s universe, but on television, in general.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "Lyanna Mormont and the Slogan Feminism of Game of Thrones," 30 July 2017
Their wrong opinions aside, deep dish in recent years has become commodified as a tourist attraction, with dozens of joints churning out flavorless dough-bowls drowned in insipid tomato juice billed as sauce.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Pequod's Pizza," 25 Aug. 2017
As a genre, the romantic comedy has been on its last legs lately, mired in raunch and ribald jokes on the one hand, or insipid wish-fulfillment on the other.

— ann hornaday, idahostatesman, "In ‘The Big Sick,’ romantic idealism strikes a pleasant balance with real-life candor," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insipid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

insipid vs. incipient

There are those who claim that these two words are commonly confused, though the collected evidence in our files don’t support that claim (in edited prose, that is). If there is confusion, it is likely because incipient is sometimes used in constructions where its meaning is not clear.

Insipid is less common than incipient, but it is used more in general prose and with much more clarity than incipient is. Insipid means “weak,” and it can refer to people (“insipid hangers-on”), things (“what an insipid idea,” “painted the room an insipid blue,” “he gave his boss an insipid smile”), and specifically flavors or foods (“an insipid soup,” “the cocktail was insipid and watery”).

Incipient, on the other hand, is more common than insipid is and means “beginning to come into being or become apparent.” It has general use (“an incipient idea,” “incipient racial tensions”), but also has extensive specialized use in medicine (“an incipient disease”) and other scientific fields (“an incipient star in a distant galaxy”). But general use of incipient is sometime vague at best:

But devaluing grand slams to 3 1/2 runs has irked even the guys it was meant to pacify. "They're messing with the game," says incipient slugger Randy Johnson (three grannies already this spring). "Not to mention my RBI totals."
— ESPN, 14 June 1999

Among my generation of aesthetes, bohemians, proto-dropouts, and incipient eternal students at Sydney University in the late 1950s, Robert Hughes was the golden boy.
— Clive James, The New York Review, 11 Jan. 2007

This menu looks traditional but embraces ingredients and ideas that have become incipient classics in American cuisine, such as portobello mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and mango.
— Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 30 Nov. 1995

Incipient is rarely used of people, and so the first example is an atypical use of the word. As for the other examples, can something that is just beginning to emerge be eternal, or a classic? Uses like this tend to confuse the reader.

If you find yourself unsure of which word to use, follow the rule that when referring to someone or something weak, use insipid, and when referring to something that is newly apparent or newly begun, use incipient.

Origin and Etymology of insipid

French & Late Latin; French insipide, from Late Latin insipidus, from Latin in- + sapidus savory, from sapere to taste — more at sage

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1609

See Words from the same year

insipid Synonyms

Synonyms

dead, flat, flavorless, savorless, tasteless, unsavory

Antonyms

flavorful, flavorsome, sapid, savory (also savoury), tasteful, tasty

Related Words

bland, dilute, thin, watery, weak; plain, unflavored

Near Antonyms

disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, sickening, unappetizing, unpalatable; cloying, mawkish; appetizing, delectable, delicious, palatable, toothsome; keen, piquant, seasoned, spicy; flavored; heavy, rich

Synonym Discussion of insipid

insipid, vapid, flat, jejune, banal, inane mean devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character. insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest.