flippant
[ flip-uhnt ]
/ ˈflɪp ənt /
adjective
frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity: The audience was shocked by his flippant remarks about patriotism.
Chiefly Dialect. nimble, limber, or pliant.
Archaic. glib; voluble.
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RELATED WORDS
glib, disrespectful, rude, offhand, playful, cocky, cheeky, brassy, breezy, flighty, flip, fresh, frivolous, impertinent, impudent, insolent, nervy, pert, sassy, smart
Nearby words
Origin of flippant
SYNONYMS FOR flippant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for flippant
flippant
/ (ˈflɪpənt) /
adjective
marked by inappropriate levity; frivolous or offhand
impertinent; saucy
obsolete talkative or nimble
Word Origin for flippant
C17: perhaps from flip
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
flippant
c.1600, "talkative;" 1670s, "displaying unbecoming levity," apparently an extended form of flip (v.). Shortened form flip is attested from 1847. Related: Flippantly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper