flippant
Americanadjective
-
frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity.
The audience was shocked by his flippant remarks about patriotism.
- Synonyms:
- impudent, impertinent, saucy
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Chiefly Dialect. nimble, limber, or pliant.
-
Archaic. glib; voluble.
adjective
-
marked by inappropriate levity; frivolous or offhand
-
impertinent; saucy
-
obsolete talkative or nimble
Other Word Forms
- flippancy noun
- flippantly adverb
- flippantness noun
- unflippant adjective
- unflippantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of flippant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s okay!” she said with a flippant wave of her hand, smiling that perfectly parallel smile.
From Literature
“I try to be very respectful of human remains, and not be flippant about it,” he told the Tulsa World.
And his version of the Russian literary masterpiece - which starts with the phrase "bloody hell" - is about being flippant and irreverent.
From BBC
Responding to the flippant nature of his previous response, Isaac noted how seemingly obnoxious that quote sounded.
From Los Angeles Times
By refusing to commit to a disquieting atmosphere, Cregger dulls his provocation, making “Weapons” feel timid, even flippant, in the face of a genuine American crisis.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
