as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
it was asinine to run into the street like that
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Recent Examples of asinine
That these sayings are meant to reflect something both deep and asinine about the film itself is self-evident.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2026
All of that would have seemed asinine mere weeks ago.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Speaking of people getting into hot water for saying asinine things, don’t miss Sabrina Impacciatore’s brilliantly inappropriate portrayal of Esmeralda Grande in The Office spin-off/continuation The Paper, which premieres on Peacock on Thursday, September 4.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2025
What's worse than luring Robert De Niro to Netflix for a boring, soulless and asinine political thriller?
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
Alonso may not be the priority at first base for the Bronx Bombers, but to say there is zero interest is asinine.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Altman’s is a plainly asinine claim; a bunch of code running in a data center is not the same as a brain.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Comedy videos about customer service and asinine Atlanta eatery rules were already popular on TikTok but have seen major pickup since Lee’s viral videos.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
Rogozin's claim that the only evidence Roscosmos could offer of the Moon landings was a book by Leonov is asinine.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 8 May 2023
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2026
All of that would have seemed asinine mere weeks ago.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Speaking of people getting into hot water for saying asinine things, don’t miss Sabrina Impacciatore’s brilliantly inappropriate portrayal of Esmeralda Grande in The Office spin-off/continuation The Paper, which premieres on Peacock on Thursday, September 4.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2025
What's worse than luring Robert De Niro to Netflix for a boring, soulless and asinine political thriller?
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
Alonso may not be the priority at first base for the Bronx Bombers, but to say there is zero interest is asinine.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Altman’s is a plainly asinine claim; a bunch of code running in a data center is not the same as a brain.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Comedy videos about customer service and asinine Atlanta eatery rules were already popular on TikTok but have seen major pickup since Lee’s viral videos.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
Rogozin's claim that the only evidence Roscosmos could offer of the Moon landings was a book by Leonov is asinine.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 8 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asinine
Adjective
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But maybe Johnson isn’t stupid.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Even in contemporary political and intellectual discourse, there remains an attachment to a particular stupid southern conservatism, the ideocratic confederacy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the past week, a slew of cinematic videos of celebrities and characters in absurd situations have gone viral online, with one commonality –– they were created using a new artificial intelligence tool from Chinese developer ByteDance, sparking anxiety over the fast-evolving capabilities of AI.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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What was turbulent and confused in me came out as absurd and ornate in him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Maybe the Pac-12 and Mountain West will look silly for not buying in, then watch as the NFC West bids against the Premier League and Marvel Cinematic Universe for the Hornets.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Since then, the fizzy dance challenge has exploded on TikTok, with tons of fans re-creating the clip’s silly dance moves in their kitchens, parking garages, living rooms, Times Square and hospital corridors.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When federal policy creates an opportunity to bring additional resources into a state’s education ecosystem, leaders would be foolish to ignore it.—
Susana A. Mendoza,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The fear of looking foolish lasts a moment.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Your day-to-day life would be insane!—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Defense lawyers had argued during the trial that Taylor was legally insane at the time of the offense.—
Claire Osborn,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is the crazy season for college hoops.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Now, Josie dances this crazy explosion in front of her.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Anything else would be idiotic.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
To do a lot less foolish, thoughtless, stupid, idiotic things.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Pederson is something of a mad scientist with bats.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s beloved novel has been driving people mad since the project was first announced.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Asinine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asinine. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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