insipid

See also: insípid

English

WOTD – 18 July 2010

Etymology

From French insipide, from Latin īnsipidus (“tasteless”), from in- (“not”) + sapidus (“savory”). In some senses, perhaps influenced by insipient (“unwise, foolish, stupid”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈsɪp.ɪd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪpɪd

Adjective

insipid (comparative more insipid, superlative most insipid)

1. Unappetizingly flavorless.

   Synonyms: tasteless, bland, vapid, wearish

   The diners were disappointed with the plain, insipid soup they were served.

2. Flat; lacking character or definition.

   Synonyms: boring, vacuous, dull, bland, vapid, characterless, colourless

   The textbook had a most insipid presentation of the controversy.

   • 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 42, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:

     If the secret history of books could be written, and the author’s private thoughts and meanings noted down alongside of his story, how many insipid volumes would become interesting, and dull tales excite the reader!

   • 2023 August 24, Sarah Naftalis & Lauren Wells, “The Roast” (8:36 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[1], season 5, episode 8, spoken by Baron Afanas (Doug Jones):

     “Look at this festive assembly. All of us, gathered here together, chuckling at jokes and silliness.” [laughter] “And jackanapery.” [rim shots] “I guess there's only one thing left to say. What is this shit?” [rim shot] [laughter] “[laughs] Very good.” “You call yourselves vampires? Bah. This entire evening has been nothing but a pageant of insipid nonsense.” “[laughing] Yes.” “Worshipping at the altar of your own mediocre frivolity. A jester's hollow dance. And who is laughing?” “Yeah! [whoops] [grunts]” “Vampires are supposed to have blood orgies and slaughter circles. Gah! You have all gone soft. You even invited humans to this asinine affair.”

Derived terms

• insipidity
• insipidly
• insipidness
• insipid schizotypal

Related terms

• insipient

Translations

unappetizingly flavorless

• Armenian: անհամ (hy) (anham)
• Bulgarian: безвкусен (bg) (bezvkusen), блудкав (bg) (bludkav)
• Catalan: insípid (ca)
• Czech: mdlý (cs)
• Danish: smagløs
• Dutch: flauw (nl), smaakloos (nl), smakeloos (nl)
• Finnish: mauton (fi), lattea (fi)
• German: fade (de), lasch (de), abgestanden (de)
• Greek: άνοστος (el) m (ánostos), άγευστος (el) m (ágefstos)

  Ancient: ἄγευστος (ágeustos)

• Irish: leamh
• Latin: insulsus
• Manx: neuvlaystal
• Maori: hākore, makiha, mākihakiha, kōwhau, kōwhau
• Norwegian: flau (no), smakløs (no)
• Occitan: insipid (oc)
• Old English: ǣmelle
• Ottoman Turkish: طاتسز (tatsız), لذتسز (lezzetsiz), یاوان (yavan)
• Persian: ویشیل (višil), بی‌مزه (fa) (bi-maze)
• Plautdietsch: schmaklooss, fleiw
• Polish: mdły (pl)
• Portuguese: insípido (pt)
• Romanian: fără gust, insipid (ro), fad (ro), searbăd (ro)
• Russian: безвку́сный (ru) (bezvkúsnyj), пре́сный (ru) (présnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: ana-blasta
• Slovak: mdlý
• Spanish: insípido (es)
• Tagalog: mayapa
• Thai: จืด (th) (jʉ̀ʉt)
• Ukrainian: несмачний m (nesmačnyj), прісний m (prisnyj)

flat; lacking character or definition

• Armenian: անհամ (hy) (anham)
• Bulgarian: безинтересен (bg) (bezinteresen)
• Catalan: insípid (ca)
• Dutch: karakterloos (nl)
• Finnish: mauton (fi), lattea (fi), valju (fi), mielenkiinnoton
• German: charakterlos (de), geschmacklos (de), stumpfsinnig (de), geistlos (de)
• Greek: ανούσιος (el) m (anoúsios), άνοστος (el) m (ánostos)

  Ancient: πλαδαρός (pladarós)

• Latin: frigidus (la)
• Polish: bezbarwny (pl), nudny (pl)
• Portuguese: insípido (pt)
• Romanian: fără caracter, insipid (ro), anost (ro)
• Russian: ску́чный (ru) (skúčnyj), неинтере́сный (ru) (neinterésnyj), пло́ский (ru) (plóskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: ana-blasta
• Spanish: insulso (es), soso (es)
• Thai: จืด (th) (jʉ̀ʉt)
• Ukrainian: нудний m (nudnyj), нецікавий m (necikavyj), без смаку m (bez smaku), плоский (uk) m (ploskyj), прі́сний (prísnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} flou
• Greek: ^{(please verify)} σαχλός (el) m (sachlós)
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} insipida (io)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} fără spirit, ^{(please verify)} nesensibil, ^{(please verify)} nesimțitor (ro), ^{(please verify)} nespiritual
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} слаща́вый (ru) (slaščávyj)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} cursi (es)

Further reading

• “insipid”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “insipid”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French insipide.

Adjective

insipid m or n (feminine singular insipidă, masculine plural insipizi, feminine and neuter plural insipide)

1. insipid, tasteless

Declension

Declension of insipid

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	insipid		insipidă		insipizi	insipide
	definite	insipidul		insipida		insipizii	insipidele
genitive- dative	indefinite	insipid		insipide		insipizi	insipide
	definite	insipidului		insipidei		insipizilor	insipidelor

Related terms

• insipiditate