flippant
Americanadjective
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frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity.
The audience was shocked by his flippant remarks about patriotism.
- Synonyms:
- impudent, impertinent, saucy
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Chiefly Dialect. nimble, limber, or pliant.
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Archaic. glib; voluble.
adjective
-
marked by inappropriate levity; frivolous or offhand
-
impertinent; saucy
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obsolete talkative or nimble
Other Word Forms
- flippancy noun
- flippantly adverb
- flippantness noun
- unflippant adjective
- unflippantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of flippant
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.
Platitudes, by their nature, can come off as flippant.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026
“I try to be very respectful of human remains, and not be flippant about it,” he told the Tulsa World.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
Responding to the flippant nature of his previous response, Isaac noted how seemingly obnoxious that quote sounded.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025
While this may seem flippant ,"People experience and understand politics through the content they share online", Sarkar says.
From BBC • Aug. 2, 2025
“Whatever there is to know,” I say; but that’s too flippant.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
