frivolous
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.friv·o·lous
adjective \ˈfri-və-ləs\Definition of FRIVOLOUS
1
a : of little weight or importance b : having no sound basis (as in fact or law) <a frivolous lawsuit>
2
a : lacking in seriousness b : marked by unbecoming levity
— friv·o·lous·ly adverb
— friv·o·lous·ness noun
See Examples of FRIVOLOUS
- She thinks window shopping is a frivolous activity.
- <judges are getting sick of people bringing frivolous lawsuits>
- She knew that people might think her frivolous, Kitty said, to talk to some saint when she had a cooking disaster, but that was what she really believed the saints were there for. —Alice Munro, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2001
- As the Explorer quickly became the most popular SUV of all time … a number of lawsuits concerning the Firestone tires were filed, the first in 1992. But Ford and Firestone, like most companies in today's … society, tend to assume that the bulk of legal actions are frivolous. —Daniel Eisenberg, Time, 11 Sept. 2000
- There is no frivolous decoration, no canned music, nothing but the essentials—well-worn cutlery and table linen, unpretentious glasses. —Peter Mayle, GQ, May 1998
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Origin of FRIVOLOUS
Middle English, from Latin frivolus
First Known Use: 15th century
Related to FRIVOLOUS
- Synonyms
- fiddling, foolish, unimportant, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, Mickey Mouse, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, slight, small, small-fry, trifling, trivial
- Antonyms
- big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, unfrivolous, weighty
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