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

Instead, it was a layered cake made from whipping butter and sugar until it was frothy and then sifting in the dry ingredients.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

She gets the frothy fantastical tone and brings some darker elements to the table as well.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Consumer spending, which has the biggest influence, increased at a frothy 3.2% annual rate compared to a lackluster 0.5% in the first quarter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

In the early 2000s, Greenspan had flagged the danger of frothy housing markets and, separately, the use of home-equity withdrawals as a means to support consumer spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Seabirds from all around were drawn to a frothy, fishy patch of ocean.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

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

Among individual sectors, the frothiest — not surprisingly — is information technology, with a crash probability of 45%.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 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

Mrs. Gilmer was one of those light-headed and light-hearted women, who float upon the topmost and frothiest wave of society, herself a glittering bubble.

From Fairy Fingers A Novel by Anna Cora Ogden Mowatt Ritchie