whimsical

[hwim-zi-kuh l, wim-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whimsical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

given to whimsy or fanciful notions; capricious: a pixyish, whimsical fellow.

of the nature of or proceeding from whimsy, as thoughts or actions: Her writing showed whimsical notions of human behavior.

erratic; unpredictable: He was too whimsical with regard to his work.

Origin of whimsical

First recorded in 1645–55; whims(y) + -ical

Related formswhim·si·cal·ly, adverbun·whim·si·cal, adjectiveun·whim·si·cal·ly, adverbun·whim·si·cal·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for whimsically

scarcely, sometimes, occasionally, sporadically, rarely, hardly, playfulness, irregularly, little, uncommonly, unusually

Examples from the Web for whimsically

Contemporary Examples of whimsically

Little did I know, back in October, when I whimsically decided on the name, what low-hanging fruits lay ahead.
Click Here For Good News!
Christopher Buckley
March 8, 2009

Historical Examples of whimsically

When one spoonful had gone down his neck, he smiled up at her whimsically.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
“You give me credit for quite a few things, sheriff,” said Rathburn whimsically.
The Coyote
James Roberts
“Well, you must admit that it would help some,” she said whimsically.
The Love Affairs of an Old Maid
Lilian Bell
"You come wonderfully close on my Frankfort story," said M'Iver, whimsically.
John Splendid
Neil Munro
"We were lucky," said Orville Wright, whimsically, on Monday.
The True Story of Our National Calamity of Flood, Fire and Tornado
Logan Marshall

British Dictionary definitions for whimsically

whimsical

adjective

spontaneously fanciful or playful

given to whims; capricious

quaint, unusual, or fantastic

Derived Formswhimsicality (ˌwɪmzɪˈkælɪtɪ), nounwhimsically, adverbwhimsicalness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for whimsically

whimsical

adj.

1650s, from whimsy. Related: Whimsically.