Vapid

When:

Lookups spiked on October 28, 2014

Why:

The release of the trailer for a documentary about Russell Brand highlights tensions between his fast-thinking comedy, earnest activism, and celebrity status. It includes shots of Brand with ex-wife Katy Perry, and his remark: “I’m living, like, this life. The very thing that I detest: vapid, vacuous celebrity.”

Vapid means “not lively or interesting” or “dull or boring.” It comes from the Latin word used to describe flat or tasteless wine, and perhaps ultimately from the Latin ancestor of vapor—something without flavor, animation, or spirit.

Vacuous, meaning “stupid,” “inane,” or “idle,” was also looked up in large numbers.