Standard Lemma guide

insipid

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /ɪnˈsɪp.ɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪpɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S IH1 P AH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Unappetizingly flavorless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tasteless, bland, vapid, wearish

Antonyms: savory, savorous, sapid, flavoury, gustable, saporific, saporous, tastable, tasteable

2

adj

Meaning 2

Flat; lacking character or definition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The textbook had a most insipid presentation of the controversy.

Meaning relationships

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

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

lacking interest or significance or impact

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an insipid personality
  • jejune novel

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jejune

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

lacking taste or flavor or tang

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a bland diet
  • insipid hospital food
  • flavorless supermarket tomatoes
  • vapid beer
  • vapid tea

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bland, flat, flavorless, flavourless, savorless, savourless, vapid

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *sep- Proto-Italic *sapjō Latin sapiō Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin sapidus Latin īnsipiduslbor. French insipidebor. English insipid From French insipide, from Latin īnsipidus (“tasteless”), from in- (“not”) + sapidus (“savory”). In some senses, perhaps influenced by insipient (“unwise, foolish, stupid”).

Across languages

Translations

88 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անհամ (anham) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Bulgarian: безвкусен (bezvkusen) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Bulgarian: блудкав (bludkav) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Catalan: insípid — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Czech: mdlý — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Danish: smagløs — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Dutch: flauw — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Dutch: smaakloos — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Dutch: smakeloos — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Finnish: mauton — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Finnish: lattea — unappetizingly flavorless
  • French: insipide — unappetizingly flavorless
  • German: fade — unappetizingly flavorless
  • German: lasch — unappetizingly flavorless
  • German: abgestanden — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Greek: άνοστος (ánostos) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Greek: άγευστος (ágefstos) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Ancient Greek: ἄγευστος (ágeustos) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Irish: leamh — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Latin: insulsus — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Manx: neuvlaystal — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Māori: hākore — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Māori: makiha — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Māori: mākihakiha — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Māori: kōwhau — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Norwegian: flau — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Norwegian: smakløs — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Occitan: insipid — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Old English: ǣmelle — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Persian: ویشیل (višil) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Persian: بیمزه (bi-maze) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Plautdietsch: schmaklooss — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Plautdietsch: fleiw — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Polish: mdły — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Portuguese: insípido — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Romanian: fără gust — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Romanian: insipid — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Romanian: fad — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Romanian: searbăd — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Russian: безвку́сный (bezvkúsnyj) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Russian: пре́сный (présnyj) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Scottish Gaelic: ana-blasta — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Slovak: mdlý — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Spanish: insípido — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Swedish: smaklös — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Swedish: fadd — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Tagalog: mayapa — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Thai: จืด (jʉ̀ʉt) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Ottoman Turkish: طاتسز (tatsız) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Ottoman Turkish: لذتسز (lezzetsiz) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Ottoman Turkish: یاوان (yavan) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Ukrainian: несмачний (nesmačnyj) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Ukrainian: прісний (prisnyj) — unappetizingly flavorless
  • Armenian: անհամ (anham) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Bulgarian: безинтересен (bezinteresen) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Catalan: insípid — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Dutch: karakterloos — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Finnish: mauton — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Finnish: lattea — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Finnish: valju — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Finnish: mielenkiinnoton — flat; lacking character or definition
  • French: insipide — flat; lacking character or definition
  • German: charakterlos — flat; lacking character or definition
  • German: geschmacklos — flat; lacking character or definition
  • German: stumpfsinnig — flat; lacking character or definition
  • German: geistlos — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Greek: ανούσιος (anoúsios) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Greek: άνοστος (ánostos) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Ancient Greek: πλαδαρός (pladarós) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Latin: frigidus — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Polish: bezbarwny — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Polish: nudny — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Portuguese: insípido — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Romanian: fără caracter — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Romanian: insipid — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Romanian: anost — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Russian: ску́чный (skúčnyj) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Russian: неинтере́сный (neinterésnyj) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Russian: пло́ский (plóskij) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Scottish Gaelic: ana-blasta — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Spanish: insulso — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Spanish: soso — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Thai: จืด (jʉ̀ʉt) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Ukrainian: нудний (nudnyj) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Ukrainian: нецікавий (necikavyj) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Ukrainian: без смаку (bez smaku) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Ukrainian: плоский (ploskyj) — flat; lacking character or definition
  • Ukrainian: прі́сний (prísnyj) — flat; lacking character or definition