VAPID

Vapid is an adjective used to describe something that lacks liveliness, spirit, or interest. It is commonly applied to food or drink that lacks flavor, but it also characterizes people, ideas, conversations, or entertainment that feel dull, bland, or uninspired. A vapid remark or prose offers little intellectual or emotional engagement, while a vapid personality may be perceived as physically or energetically disengaged.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin vapidus, meaning “flat, dull, insipid,” and entered English via Old French. The sense shift from taste or sensory dullness to a broader non-flavor-related dullness occurred over time, so that vapidity can describe both sensory and non-sensory forms of dullness.

Usage notes: Vapid is a pejorative term and is most appropriate in evaluative or critical contexts. It often implies a lack of originality or substance rather than mere mild dullness. Because it can be perceived as harsh, it is typically used in literary, cultural, or rhetorical critique rather than in neutral description.

Related forms: Vapidity (noun) denotes the quality of being vapid; vapidness is a synonymous, though less common, noun form. Adverbial form is vapidly; adjectival use is predominant in ordinary writing.

See also: insipid, bland, dull, lifeless, tedious, unremarkable; antonyms include lively, stimulating, engaging, vibrant.

Example uses: “The speaker offered vapid assurances that failed to address the audience’s concerns.” “The novel’s vapid prose did little to sustain readers’ interest.”