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Jejune: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Jejune adjective. Dull, dry and lacking substance.
How to say it
jih-JOON/dʒɪˈdʒuːn/
2 syllables, stressed on the second (JOON).
Meanings
- Dull, dry and lacking substance.
- Naive and simplistic, as if childish.
Jejune in a sentence
The report's jejune prose sent half the committee to sleep.
His jejune views on politics hadn't changed since he was nineteen.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- dull
- insipid
- vapid
- naive
Opposite:
- stimulating
- sophisticated
Careful
Jejune first meant meagre and dull. The sense 'naive or juvenile', probably helped by its likeness to juvenile and French jeune, young, is now in dictionaries, though purists dislike it.
Where jejune comes from
From Latin jejunus, fasting or barren.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
His _____ views on politics hadn't changed since he was nineteen.
- celibate
- jejune
- pristine
Show the answer
jejune: His jejune views on politics hadn't changed since he was nineteen.