Synonyms

frivolously

American

[friv-uh-luhs-lee] / ˈfrɪv ə ləs li /

adverb

in a way that is characterized by lack of seriousness, good sense, or any worthwhile purpose.

He had an income comfortable enough that he could spend some of it frivolously and extravagantly.
I'm not asking the question frivolously; I am in earnest.

Other Word Forms

unfrivolously adverb

Etymology

Origin of frivolously

frivolous ( def. ) + -ly

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.

“We can’t throw things to space frivolously and say, ‘Well, if it doesn’t work, let’s build another one.’”

From Science Magazine • Aug. 10, 2022

“When you’re a kid frivolously playing with something you think is a toy, this is what happens.”

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2022

I expanded my barn, spent a little frivolously at the annual night market, purchased some ducks and upgraded a fellow villager's home — all from making jam.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2021

“Human nature is not as bad as we are often told,” a disheartened Cage wrote in a letter to a frivolously irresponsible orchestra sabotaging a 1990 production of “Europeras” in Zurich, Switzerland.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2018

We kept asking him to leave a big supply with us, but he’d shake his head gloomily, like we were bound to use them up frivolously or else cause an explosion.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023