whimsical
Americanadjective
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spontaneously fanciful or playful
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given to whims; capricious
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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.
When PJ Magerko-Liquorice and Jordan Millington-Liquorice married in rural southeastern Pennsylvania four years ago, they curated whimsical and personal touches.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
If you’re a child of the 1970s, you probably looked to the whimsical optimism of the cartoon show “The Jetsons” for an idea of what the future of travel might look like.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
While much of the album feels appropriately bittersweet, McCartney finds plenty of time for whimsical diversions.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
In an interview with People magazine, Mandava described modelling as "this magical, whimsical and nurturing thing".
From BBC • May 9, 2026
It was too whimsical a sighting for the archbishop to pronounce as authentic, but still.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
