First Known Use: circa 1656
Dictionary
vapid
adjective va·pid \ˈva-pəd, ˈvā-\
: not lively or interesting : dull or boring
Full Definition of VAPID
: lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force : flat, dull <a gossipy, vapid woman, obsessed by her own elegance — R. F. Delderfield> <London was not all vapid dissipation — V. S. Pritchett>
— va·pid·ly adverb
— va·pid·ness noun
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Examples of VAPID
- Waiting rooms, as I'm sure you know, are small rooms with plenty of chairs for waiting, as well as piles of old, dull magazines to read and some vapid paintings … while you endure the boredom that doctors and dentists inflict on their patients before bringing them in to poke them and prod them and do all the miserable things that such people are paid to do. —Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator, 2001
- In a secular age, symbolic rituals such as lighting the Olympic torch inevitably risk seeming a little vapid. —Tony Perrottet, Civilization, June/July 2000
- … the incompetent servant, by whomsoever employed, is always against his employer. Even those born governors, noble and right honourable creatures, who have been the most imbecile in high places, have uniformly shown themselves the most opposed (sometimes in belying distrust, sometimes in vapid insolence) to THEIR employer. What is in such wise true of the public master and servant, is equally true of the private master and servant all the world over. —Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, 1865
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Origin of VAPID
Latin vapidus flat-tasting; akin to Latin vappa flat wine and perhaps to Latin vapor steam
Synonym Discussion of VAPID
insipid, vapid, flat, jejune, banal, inane mean devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character. insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest <an insipid romance with platitudes on every page>. vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit <an exciting story given a vapid treatment>. flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest <although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat>. jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance <a jejune and gassy speech>. banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy <a banal tale of unrequited love>. inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality <an inane interpretation of the play>.
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