frivolous

[friv-uh-luhs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR frivolous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

characterized by lack of seriousness or sense: frivolous conduct.

self-indulgently carefree; unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose.

(of a person) given to trifling or undue levity: a frivolous, empty-headed person.

of little or no weight, worth, or importance; not worthy of serious notice: a frivolous suggestion.

Nearby words

Origin of frivolous

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin frīvolus worthless, trifling; see -ous

SYNONYMS FOR frivolous

3. idle, silly, foolish, childish, puerile. 4. light, trifling, petty, paltry, trivial, flimsy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR frivolous ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR frivolous

3. serious. 4. weighty.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR frivolous ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

friv·o·lous·ly, adverbfriv·o·lous·ness, nounun·friv·o·lous, adjectiveun·friv·o·lous·ly, adverb

un·friv·o·lous·ness, noun

Can be confusedfrivolity frivolousness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for frivolous

In Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen defends the novel against critics who dismiss it as frivolous and feminine.
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The 1996 filing (which you can check out here) was, naturally, as silly and frivolous as the boycott push that came before it.
When the Religious Right Attacked ‘The Little Mermaid’|Asawin Suebsaeng|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mizell called the Justice Department “arrogant” for bringing this frivolous case to the court.
Honoring The Late John Doar, A Nearly Forgotten Hero Of The Civil Rights Era|Gary May|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“This is silly in its context but serious in its purpose, it is not frivolous,” Pelosi says.
Pelosi to Boehner: I Quashed Impeachment, and So Can You|Eleanor Clift|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Blogging is a lifestyle agenda that can pay the bills, it becomes a serious business of frivolous things.
Tavi Gevinson: From Teen Fashion Queen to Broadway Star|Arabelle Sicardi|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was free to exclude from the meeting on arbitrary and even on frivolous grounds.
A History of American Christianity|Leonard Woolsey Bacon
But that was the frivolous set, to which Lady Blakeney had never belonged.
The Elusive Pimpernel|Baroness Emmuska Orczy
If he were asked to read prayers in French the idea would seem to him incongruous, a mingling of frivolous with sacred things.
Human Intercourse|Philip Gilbert Hamerton
If you knew that frivolous world as I do, perhaps you would consider yourself less unfortunate to live in a hole.
The White House (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XII)|Charles Paul de Kock
He looked down upon his companions and the school life generally as silly and frivolous.
The Life of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, Bart., K.C.S.I.|Sir Leslie Stephen

British Dictionary definitions for frivolous

frivolous

adjective

not serious or sensible in content, attitude, or behaviour; sillya frivolous remark

unworthy of serious or sensible treatment; unimportantfrivolous details

Derived Formsfrivolously, adverbfrivolousness or frivolity (frɪˈvɒlɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for frivolous

C15: from Latin frīvolus silly, worthless

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

Word Origin and History for frivolous

frivolous

adj.

mid-15c., from Latin frivolus "silly, empty, trifling, worthless, brittle," diminutive of *frivos "broken, crumbled," from friare "break, rub away, crumble." Related: Frivolously; frivolousness.