Silly and pointless; lacking intelligence or substance while showing unconscious foolishness. It describes behavior or statements that are both stupid and smugly self-satisfied.
From Latin 'fatuus' meaning 'foolish or insipid,' related to an ancient word for 'gaping' or 'opening the mouth foolishly.' The word suggests the kind of empty-headed foolishness that leaves one's mouth hanging open.
Fatuous sounds like 'fat' + 'uous' - imagine someone so full of hot air they're bloated with their own silly importance. Fatuous people make foolish comments while acting like they've said something profound, completely unaware of their own absurdity.
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