Synonyms of asinine

asinine

adjective

ˈa-sə-ˌnīn 

as in stupid

showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment

it was asinine to run into the street like that

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stupid
• absurd
• silly
• foolish
• insane
• crazy
• idiotic
• mad
• irrational
• ridiculous
• nonsensical
• dumb
• unreasonable
• lunatic
• preposterous
• fatuous
• simple
• fool
• zany
• unwise
• wacky
• loony
• senseless
• witless
• daft
• brainless
• harebrained
• inept
• nutty
• weak
• kooky
• simpleminded
• unreasoning
• daffy
• sappy
• moronic
• weak-minded
• screwball
• wacko
• dippy
• slow
• jerky
• out to lunch
• cuckoo
• crackpot
• crackbrained
• dotty
• illogical
• gaga
• half-baked
• balmy
• batty
• loony tunes
• thoughtless
• barmy
• ludicrous
• unreasoned
• lunkheaded
• half-witted
• cockeyed
• vacuous
• obtuse
• tomfool
• imbecile
• doltish
• unintelligent
• lamebrain
• clueless
• bubbleheaded
• laughable
• mindless
• dull
• meshuga
• fallacious
• dopey
• featherheaded
• brain-dead
• feebleminded
• fruity
• farcical
• dense
• opaque
• empty-headed
• invalid
• dunderheaded
• thickheaded
• oafish
• dorky
• unsound
• pinheaded
• dim
• surd
• nonrational
• gormless
• thick
• dim-witted
• softheaded
• soft
• knuckleheaded
• ill-advised
• clownish
• airheaded
• notional
• slow-witted
• buffoonish
• chuckleheaded
• birdbrained
• unconsidered
• boobish
• chowderheaded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wise
• sensible
• sound
• prudent
• sane
• reasonable
• judicious
• clever
• intelligent
• logical
• smart
• rational
• valid
• bright
• sagacious
• sage
• sapient
• brainy
• well-advised

Synonym Chooser

How is the word asinine different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of asinine are fatuous, foolish, silly, and simple. While all these words mean "actually or apparently deficient in intelligence," asinine suggests utter and contemptible failure to use normal rationality or perception.

an asinine plot

When could fatuous be used to replace asinine?

While the synonyms fatuous and asinine are close in meaning, fatuous implies foolishness, inanity, and disregard of reality.

fatuous conspiracy theories

When is foolish a more appropriate choice than asinine?

The meanings of foolish and asinine largely overlap; however, foolish implies the character of being or seeming unable to use judgment, discretion, or good sense.

foolish stunts

When can silly be used instead of asinine?

The synonyms silly and asinine are sometimes interchangeable, but silly suggests failure to act as a rational being especially by ridiculous behavior.

the silly antics of revelers

When would simple be a good substitute for asinine?

In some situations, the words simple and asinine are roughly equivalent. However, simple implies a degree of intelligence inadequate to cope with anything complex or involving mental effort.

considered people simple who had trouble with computers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of asinine

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

Featured Presentations Final Destination: Bloodlines Family gatherings can already be a pain, but imagine that pain being asinine deaths that claim everyone one by one. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 May 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