frilly
Americanadjective
-
covered with or marked by frills.
Some of the more elaborate dress shirts have frilly fronts.
-
frivolous; inconsequential.
After a day of intense concentration and serious business, they feel like doing something frilly and amusing.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of frilly
Explanation
Frilly things are lacy, decorative, or ruffled. A little girl might refuse to wear a frilly dress on the first day of school, preferring instead to wear overalls and purple rain boots. Your grandma might have a favorite frilly apron that she wears when she bakes, and your cousin might dream of wearing a frilly white gown when she gets married. Frilly curtains are probably too cute and fussy for your kitchen if your decorating style is clean and modern. Even language can be described, figuratively, as frilly if it's showy or overly fancy.
Vocabulary lists containing frilly
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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The Thing About Jellyfish
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Coraline
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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.
Frilly tarragon and dill leaves are picked from their stems, waiting for their moment to act as a feather in this salad's cap.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2022
Frilly, flouncy details such as lace trim, crocheted inserts and ruffled shoulders were offset in many looks by strappy top-stitched trench belts.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2020
Frilly, flouncy details like lace trim, crocheted inserts and ruffled shoulders were offset in many looks by strappy top-stitched trench belts.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2020
Her recollections chime with the results of a behavioral study, “Pink Frilly Dresses and Early Gender Identity,” published last year by Princeton University.
From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2011
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.
