whimsy

Also whim·sey

[hwim-zee, wim-]

noun

plural

whimsies 

1. capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression.

   a play with lots of whimsy.

2. an odd or fanciful notion.

   Synonyms: humor, whim, caprice

3. anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy.

   a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.

whimsy

/ ˈwɪmzɪ /

noun

1. a capricious idea or notion

2. light or fanciful humour

3. something quaint or unusual

adjective

1. quaint, comical, or unusual, often in a tasteless way

Word History and Origins

Origin of whimsy¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; whim(-wham) + -sy

Word History and Origins

Origin of whimsy¹

C17: from _whim ; compare _flimsy

Example Sentences

Adding to the whimsy, the book contains a fictional congratulatory letter from the heroine to Patchett regarding her novel “State of Wonder.”

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It’s through Amélie’s gaze — or, more precisely, how these filmmakers interpret it visually — that we begin to understand her invigorating whimsy.

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For added whimsy, the tree is the centerpiece of an “Alice in Wonderland”-style checkerboard of tile and grass.

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Ms. Keaton’s elegant looks, warm laugh, broad smile, her canny intelligence and broad streak of whimsy made her as sought-after offscreen as on.

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His surrealist reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Victorian children’s novel, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” distorts the nonsense and whimsy: melting clocks and anxious White Rabbits, sinister playing cards and caterpillars on mushrooms.

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Related Words

• playfulness www.thesaurus.com