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Inane vs Flippant - What's the difference?

inane | flippant |

As adjectives the difference between inane and flippant

is that inane is lacking sense or meaning (often to the point of boredom or annoyance) while flippant is (archaic) glib; speaking with ease and rapidity.

As a noun inane

is that which is void or empty.

inane

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Lacking sense or meaning (often to the point of boredom or annoyance).
  • This supremely gifted kid told me that in the early elementary grades, the songs sung in music class were so inane that he wanted to skip grades already! Eventually he did, so better late than never.
  • purposeless; pointless
  • * I. Taylor
  • Vague and inane instincts.

    Synonyms

    * (lacking sense) silly, fatuous, vapid

    Derived terms

    * inanely * inanity

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • That which is void or empty.
  • * Locke
  • The undistinguishable inane of infinite space.
  • *1881 , :
  • [...] whom we watch as we watch the clouds careering in the windy, bottomless inane , or read about like characters in ancient and rather fabulous annals.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    flippant

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (archaic) glib; speaking with ease and rapidity
  • * Barrow
  • It becometh good men, in such cases, to be flippant and free in their speech.
  • nimble; limber.
  • Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.
  • * Burke
  • a sort of flippant , vain discourse
  • * 1998 , , The Metaphysical Touch
  • The conversations had grown more adult over the years—she was less flippant , at least.
  • * 2000 , Anthony Howard and Jason Cowley, Decline and Fall, New Statesman, March 13, 2000
  • In the mid-1950s we both wrote for the same weekly, where her contributions were a good deal more serious and less flippant than mine.
  • * 2004 , , The Easy Way to Stop Smoking , page 147
  • Our society treats smoking flippantly as a slightly distasteful habit that can injure your health. It is not. It is drug addiction.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * serious

    Derived terms

    * flippancy

    See also

    * irreverent * pert * facetious * frivolous