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Inane vs Trivial - What's the difference?

inane | trivial | Related terms |

Inane is a related term of trivial.


As adjectives the difference between inane and trivial

is that inane is lacking sense or meaning (often to the point of boredom or annoyance) while trivial is ignorable; of little significance or value.

As nouns the difference between inane and trivial

is that inane is that which is void or empty while trivial is (obsolete) any of the three liberal arts forming the trivium.

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

    * ----

    trivial

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Ignorable; of little significance or value.
  • * 1848, , Bantam Classics (1997), 16:
    • "All which details, I have no doubt, Jones , who reads this book at his Club, will pronounce to be excessively foolish, trivial , twaddling, and ultra-sentimental."
  • Commonplace, ordinary.
  • * De Quincey
    • As a scholar, meantime, he was trivial , and incapable of labour.
  • Concerned with or involving trivia.
  • (biology) Relating to or designating the name of a species; specific as opposed to generic.
  • (mathematics) Of, relating to, or being the simplest possible case.
  • (mathematics) Self-evident.
  • Pertaining to the trivium.
  • (philosophy) Indistinguishable in case of truth or falsity.

    • Synonyms

    * (of little significance) ignorable, negligible, trifling

    Antonyms

    * nontrivial * important * significant * radical * fundamental

    Derived terms

    * trivia

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) Any of the three liberal arts forming the trivium.
    • (Skelton)
    (Wood)
    (Webster 1913) ----