whimsical
Americanadjective
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spontaneously fanciful or playful
-
given to whims; capricious
-
quaint, unusual, or fantastic
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of whimsical
Explanation
Whimsical means full of or characterized by whims, which are odd ideas that usually occur to you very suddenly. If you decide at the last minute to fly to Europe, you could say you went there on a whim. Whimsical can also mean tending toward odd or unpredictable behavior. Both whimsical and whim are derived from an earlier English word whim-wham, which is of unknown origin. Whim-wham had about the same meaning as whim, but could also refer to an odd object or piece of clothing.
Vocabulary lists containing whimsical
Grade 10, List 5
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The Handmaid's Tale
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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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.
Even the children’s rooms have been given an artistic, yet whimsical, feel.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Its whimsical grandiosity practically invites us to use the passive voice, a kind of verbal genuflection.”
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Us Weekly also reported, citing an unnamed insider, that guests were told the theme was "whimsical".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
The mural, which is whimsical and thoughtful at the same time, is almost 30 yards long and 10 feet high.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
Hatsue had been taken from his life by history, because history was whimsical and immune to private yearnings.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
