whimsy
Americannoun
noun
-
a capricious idea or notion
-
light or fanciful humour
-
something quaint or unusual
adjective
Etymology
Origin of whimsy
First recorded in 1595–1605; whim(-wham) + -sy
Explanation
Whimsy is what a person who's a dreamer and out of step with the real world might have lots of. People who are full of whimsy are odd, but often fanciful and lovely, like Harry Potter's friend Luna Lovegood. Whimsy is also a whim — something you do just because you want to. If you find a postcard of Alaska and take that as a reason to move there, that could qualify as whimsy. Whimsy is irrational, but playful. If you decorate your house with whimsy, you may have a wall decorated with butterflies and giant daisies with googly eyes, and a couch trimmed with peacock feathers and vinyl. It's amusing and witty, and you’re a master of whimsy.
Vocabulary lists containing whimsy
Kindred
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Swing
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"All That" by David Foster Wallace
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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.
The simplicity of the tins, their demure size and dainty contents, which often feature organic health foods, are meant to embody whimsy.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
With college, careers and “real world” concerns front and center in our lives, space travel was relegated to a place alongside other childhood interests, recalled with whimsy and nostalgia, but of no great import.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The boy who left Oxford all whimsy and loose, would become someone wondrous... the marvellous Dr. Seuss.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
There’s got to be some some whimsy about it.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
She was worried, worried that I would think less of her for pandering to the whimsy of some paranoid lordling.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
