Do you know the definition of asinine? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word asinine, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word asinine is an adjective that means characteristic of asses or characteristic of donkeys. This word is often used to describe people with below average rationality, unlike intelligent people. The word asinine is three syllables – as-in-ine, and the pronunciation of asinine is ˈæsɪˌnaɪn.
Many things can be asinine, including an asinine harness, such asinine statements, asinine obstinacy, an asinine invocation, an asinine tone-deaf narrative element, asinine arguments, asinine runaway creative success, asinine video games, an asinine advertisement, an asinine student at Princeton University, an asinine dead man walking, the asinine intonation of the name of jove, an asinine quiz, asinine copyright laws from Harpercollins Publishers and William Collins Sons, asinine ethnic caricatures, asinine features, asinine trends, and more.
Many different languages also contain words that mean asinine. You may notice that some of these translations of asinine look and sound similar to the word asinine. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that look, sound, and eman something slimalir while they are words of different languages. These are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations of the word asinine is provided by Word Sense.
There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word asinine. These words with the same definition as the word asinine are called synonyms. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your vocabulary, as well as to avoid repeating yourself in spoken and written English. This list of synonyms of asinine is from Power Thesaurus.
There are also numerous different words with the opposite meaning as asinine. These are called antonyms, which are another great way to expand your English language vocabulary. These antonyms for asinine are also provided by Power Thesaurus.
as clever as a cartload of monkeys
as cunning as a fox
mentally sharp
in full possession of one’s faculties
brilliant
adequate
creative
as cunning as a cartload of monkeys
as clever as a wagonload of monkeys
wise
astute
agile
fast
rational
brainstorm
judicious
adroit
in full possession of one’s senses
game-changing
as tricky as a monkey
quick-witted
as sly as a fox
in possession of one’s senses
genius
highly educated
cunning as a cartload of monkeys
not born yesterday
peng
educable
akamai
clever
clever as a wagonload of monkeys
handsome
as sharp as a needle
clever as a cartload of monkeys
bright
crazy like a fox
alert
nerdy
cunning as a fox
cute
prudent
intelligent
sage
brainy
acute
sagacious
nimble
in possession of one’s faculties
awfully clever
What is the origin of the word asinine?
According to Your Dictionary, the word asinine comes from the Latin asininus, asin-īnus, Latin asinīnus of an ass and the Latin asinus ass, from pre-Roman Mediterranean origin. This word is related to the Armenian ēs, Greek onos, and Hieroglyphic Luwian asna, which are all probably from a similar Near Eastern source such as the Sumerian anše ass and the Akkadian atānu she-ass.
Overall, the word asinine means like an ass or donkey. This is an adjective.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
October 15, 2021
Common Questions
