Etymology From Latin inānis (“empty, vain, useless”), of unknown origin.
1
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.
Francesca followed, reluctant enough in her secret; for though she would not have admitted it even to herself, she did shrink from the infliction of the inane solemnities with which her father garnished his discourse—to say nothing of the ungracious reflections which so often glanced at herself.1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 237:
1 more example
God, if she had to listen to another conversation about some kid she didnʼt know—how Tina J. stole the stage at the talent show or Bobby R. won the tee ball game or any other number of inane accomplishments.2020, Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half, Dialogue Books, page 156:
2
Purposeless; pointless.
Vague and inane instincts.1832, [Isaac Taylor], Saturday Evening. […], London: Holdsworth and Ball, →OCLC:
Etymology From Latin inānis (“empty, vain, useless”), of unknown origin.
1
That which is void or empty.
The undistinguishable inane of infinite space.1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, page 13:
[…] 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.1874–1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co., […], published 1881, →OCLC: