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whimsy

American  
[hwim-zee, wim-] / ˈʰwɪm zi, ˈwɪm- /
Also whimsey

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 British  
/ ˈwɪmzɪ /

noun

  1. a capricious idea or notion

  2. light or fanciful humour

  3. something quaint or unusual

"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

adjective

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of whimsy

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

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.

Living together in the group house, Dario, Daniela and Karnofsky had shared both a commitment to AI safety and a sense of whimsy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

The boy who left Oxford all whimsy and loose, would become someone wondrous... the marvellous Dr. Seuss.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

Looking back on my stay, the surprise and the indulgence and the whimsy proved him right.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2025

Take in Laguna Beach via one of its free trolleys — and find a host of quirky surf shops, a bounty of galleries and a community dedicated to free-spirited whimsy.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

If they were to win this race, it would be through whimsy and intuition; they would laugh their way to DNA.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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.