frothy

American  

[fraw-thee, froth-ee] / ˈfrɔ θi, ˈfrɒθ i /

adjective

• frothier,
  comparative
• frothiest
  superlative

1. of, like, or having froth; foamy.

2. unsubstantial; trifling; shallow; empty.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• frothiness
  noun
• frothily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• frothier
  comparative
• frothiest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of frothy

First recorded in 1525–35; froth + -y ¹

Explanation

Something frothy is composed of many small air bubbles. You might like your cappuccino frothy but probably not your tap water. If you order a cappuccino at a cafe, you'll get a cup of strong coffee topped with frothy milk, and a cake recipe might instruct you to beat four eggs until they're frothy. In both examples, air bubbles cause a liquid to become foamy and creamy. A frothy person, however, is bubbly in a different way, full of life and excitement. There's often an implication of "insubstantial," or even "silly" when a person or idea is described as frothy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frothy frothier frothiest

The Aero warms the water and incorporates the matcha, leaving you with a frothy base to serve on its own or mix with milk, lemonade, peach nectar or even espresso.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

It says something about this frothy moment in markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

A frothy white water splash suggests the presence — and momentary absence — of the swimmer now submerged in cool water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

"I think we have had a slow build that is leading to a frothy frenzy," says Larry Freedman, co-chairman of the Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Now I saw he’d ordered the best thing in the house, this gorgeous, frothy confection of an earlier age.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

“Our sense remains that the core of the AI thesis remains intact and would probably survive a continued separating of the wheat from the chaff in the frothier parts of the equity market.”

From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2025

For a film that recalls Kidman’s past roles and meets her in this present artistic moment — where she’s been deftly juggling prestige with frothier mainstream projects — “Holland” should be a coup.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2025

Consider it a many-layered cultural counterpart to its frothier cousin.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2023

It is already seeking a valuation that is frothier than some bigger shoe brands.

From Reuters ● Oct. 8, 2023

It became frothier and frothier, and it turned from blue to white to green to brown to yellow, then back to blue again.

From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl

Among individual sectors, the frothiest — not surprisingly — is information technology, with a crash probability of 45%.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

In 2021, investors poured money into newly public companies, creating the frothiest IPO market in decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

"Everything has to have its own necessity for being - even the frothiest sort of fun movie," Streep says.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

Beyond the Kafkaesque ick factor, Dupieux’s latest is also his frothiest, a sunny, tiki-tuned bromantic comedy about dudes with brain sizes comparable to their ward.

From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2021

And to distract his thoughts from dwelling any longer on the haunting ideas that perplexed him, he took up one of the latest and frothiest of French novels and began to read.

From Ziska by Marie Corelli