frothy

American  

[fraw-thee, froth-ee] / ˈfrɔ θi, ˈfrɒθ i /

adjective

frothier, comparative frothiest superlative

1. of, like, or having froth; foamy.

2. unsubstantial; trifling; shallow; empty.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• frothiness
  noun
• frothily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• frothier
  comparative
• frothiest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of frothy

First recorded in 1525–35; froth + -y ¹

Explanation

Something frothy is composed of many small air bubbles. You might like your cappuccino frothy but probably not your tap water. If you order a cappuccino at a cafe, you'll get a cup of strong coffee topped with frothy milk, and a cake recipe might instruct you to beat four eggs until they're frothy. In both examples, air bubbles cause a liquid to become foamy and creamy. A frothy person, however, is bubbly in a different way, full of life and excitement. There's often an implication of "insubstantial," or even "silly" when a person or idea is described as frothy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frothy frothier frothiest

The Aero warms the water and incorporates the matcha, leaving you with a frothy base to serve on its own or mix with milk, lemonade, peach nectar or even espresso.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Investment in business equipment, for example, could rise at a frothy 14% annual pace in the second quarter of this year, Oxford Economics estimates.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026

The good old WSJ print edition yielded a frothy clue to long time reader Warren Wilson.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

A frothy white water splash suggests the presence — and momentary absence — of the swimmer now submerged in cool water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

I lift a mug of hot chocolate to my lips and offer a frothy, chocolate-mustached grin.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

Anna Simonovsky, 32, said that her upper limit had gone from $7 for a latte -- a milkier, frothier drink than a cortado -- to as much as $10.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025

For a film that recalls Kidman’s past roles and meets her in this present artistic moment — where she’s been deftly juggling prestige with frothier mainstream projects — “Holland” should be a coup.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2025

The new breed of retail investor has acquired the image of a flighty, speculative day trader just looking to make a fast buck, especially in the riskier, frothier parts of financial markets such as crypto.

From Reuters ● Aug. 19, 2022

Ms. Reed famously hated eggnog, but she loved a good milk punch, which is eggnog’s lighter, frothier cousin.

From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2020

It became frothier and frothier, and it turned from blue to white to green to brown to yellow, then back to blue again.

From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl

As global stocks push toward all-time highs, a gauge of market risk has reached its frothiest level since the 2000 downturn, but investors should not be backing away quite yet.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026

In 2021, investors poured money into newly public companies, creating the frothiest IPO market in decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

"Everything has to have its own necessity for being - even the frothiest sort of fun movie," Streep says.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

Beyond the Kafkaesque ick factor, Dupieux’s latest is also his frothiest, a sunny, tiki-tuned bromantic comedy about dudes with brain sizes comparable to their ward.

From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2021

Spenser was contented with the fairies of romance, but Shakespeare founded his elfin world on the frothiest of the people's traditions, and has clothed it in the ever-living flowers of his own exuberant fancy.

From Legends of the North; The Guidman O' Inglismill and The Fairy Bride by Buchan, Patrick