frivolity
Americannoun
-
the quality or state of being frivolous.
the frivolity of Mardi Gras.
- Synonyms:
- foolishness, levity, abandon, triviality, irresponsibility, self-indulgence
-
a frivolous act or thing.
It was a frivolity he had a hard time living down.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of frivolity
From the French word frivolité, dating back to 1790–1800. See frivolous, -ity
Explanation
Frivolity is a type of clownishness or silliness. Frivolity is the opposite of getting down to business in a serious way. If people are running around a classroom, throwing things, and laughing, the teacher might say, "Why all the frivolity?" This is a word for clowning or horsing around — not being serious. There's a happy flavor to this word. Giggling when you should be listening could be considered frivolity. Also, anything that's insignificant is a type of frivolity, as in "That's nothing! Just a bit of frivolity!"
Vocabulary lists containing frivolity
Persepolis
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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.
See Examples For:
This is what political scientists call "tactical frivolity".
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025
Meanwhile, fashion—that is, clothing that changes for the sake of change—became associated with frivolity and femininity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
It’s been a tough morning on all of us, her supervisor sighs, “and I thought a little frivolity would be just what the doctor ordered.”
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2025
But if Gannett goes the way of Disney and settles this, the frivolity will only deepen.
From Slate ● Dec. 21, 2024
Maria had grown up Calvinist, a form of Protestant Christianity with a deep distrust of frivolity and vanity.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Presumably, both sexes have been players in such nightclub frivolities as “helium balloon singalongs, psychedelic projections and nursery-style games with building blocks”—amusements that were popular in the 1960s at Cerebrum, a club in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The navy did not want its midshipmen wasting their time on such frivolities.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025
In 1431, the ecumenical Council of Basel ordered the deans and rectors of churches to expel "frivolities" and "profane abuses" from holy buildings, but implicitly allowed them to take place in the squares outside.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
Yet it’s often the case — now as then — that expressions of personal style among serious people are deemed frivolities.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2023
The hermit was, indeed, none other than William, Earl of Warwick, a renowned champion, who, tired of the frivolities of the Court, had gone on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
From Legends & Romances of Spain by Spence, Lewis
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.
