Etymology
Origin of whimsicality
Explanation
When you decide to do something silly or unexpected just because it's fun and interesting rather than practical, you're displaying whimsicality! This means you're embracing the playful, unpredictable side of life. Whimsicality is the art of making choices based on fun and spontaneity rather than practicality. This whimsical trait shines through in the delight of wearing a brightly colored outfit on a gray day or taking a different route home just to explore. You’ll often find whimsicality in art that mixes unusual colors and shapes or in stories where reality takes a playful twist.
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.
Michetti’s production, incorporating Sara Ryung Clement’s abstract set design of metal scaffolding, projects onto the harsh narrative backdrop a Mary Zimmerman-esque whimsicality.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2016
But Cho’s wry whimsicality, and compassion for her fallible characters, gives these familiar dilemmas a tender lilt.
From Seattle Times • May 22, 2013
A certain whimsicality is more than offset by that striking image of the clouds as "hunchèd camels".
From The Guardian • Dec. 17, 2012
Yet the whimsicality of the recording belies songs in which Ms. Apple wars with her lovers and, often, herself.
From New York Times • May 30, 2012
Flaws there doubtless are in both, and our noblest characters ofttimes adorn themselves with some pet whimsicality or foible for which, like the dwellers of Cranford, they are even more dearly loved.
From Dorothy Payne, Quakeress A Side-Light upon the Career of 'Dolly' Madison by Barnard, Ella Kent
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.
