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“Then away goes the brisk and pleasant Spirits and leave a vapid or sour Drink.” So wrote John Mortimer—an early 18th-century expert on agriculture, orchards, and cider-making—in his book on husbandry. His use was typical for his day, when vapid was often used specifically in reference to liquor. The term comes from Latin vapidus, meaning “flat-tasting,” a possible relative of vapor. That use still occurs today; you might, for example, hear an uninspiring wine described as vapid. More likely, however, you’ll hear vapid, along with the synonyms insipid, flat, and inane, describe people and things that are dull and boring, empty and insubstantial, or lacking spirit and character.
Examples of vapid in a Sentence
Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator, 2001
In a secular age, symbolic rituals such as lighting the Olympic torch inevitably risk seeming a little vapid.
—Tony Perrottet, Civilization, June/July 2000
… the incompetent servant, by whomsoever employed, is always against his employer. Even those born governors, noble and right honourable creatures, who have been the most imbecile in high places, have uniformly shown themselves the most opposed (sometimes in belying distrust, sometimes in vapid insolence) to THEIR employer. What is in such wise true of the public master and servant, is equally true of the private master and servant all the world over.
—Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, 1865
a song with vapid lyrics
Donie O'Sullivan, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
While the world burns, the billionaire bozo responsible — handsome but morally vapid Venis (Cory Michael Smith) — hangs out with three other tech titans in a secluded, swanky winter home in the mountains.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 May 2025
Wang tries his best, but Li is a wafer-thin cut-out without much charm, and his romance with the equally vapid Mia lacks spark.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 28 May 2025
So much of modern football discourse is taken up with banality, immaturity, petty insults, utterly vapid arguments about the size of rival clubs, or fanbases, or the length of trophy droughts.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vapid
Cite this Entry
“Vapid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vapid. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
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