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Trace Whimsical Back to the 16th Century
Even the origin of whimsical is whimsical: its ultimate source (by way of the noun whimsy) is the now-obscure whim-wham, a noun from the early 16th century that first referred to an ornamental object or trinket, and later to an eccentric impulse or interest—that is, to what in modern terms can be called a whim. The origin of whim-wham isn’t clear, but it’s among a class of words known as reduplications, words that are formed by repeating a word, as in go-go, or by adding to a word one that sounds very similar to it, as in dillydally. (In the case of whim-wham, the original duplicated term has been lost to time.) While whimsical first described those who tend toward whimsy, it now commonly describes things that are unusual in a playful or amusing way, as in “charmed by the book’s whimsical illustrations.”
Examples of whimsical in a Sentence
Janice Wald Henderson, Chocolatier, March 2001
Unlike the broad slapstick humor of Musical Mose and other early Herriman strips, Krazy Kat was gentle, fey, and whimsical.
—Jeet Heer, Lingua Franca, September 2001
In the whimsical linguistics of theoretical physics, the "naked" electron is an imaginary object cut off from the influences of the field, whereas a "dressed" electron carries the imprint of the universe, but it is all buried in extremely tiny modifications to its bare properties.
—Leon Lederman et al., The God Particle, 1993
She has a whimsical sense of humor.
it's hard to make plans with such a whimsical best friend
Chelsea Adams, USA Today, 20 June 2026
The flip side • Thank you to Sanford for the lovely bronze sculpture by their library depicting a whimsical scene of children on a bridge of books symbolizing the bridge to education and learning.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026
This 1935-founded Clifton’s, originally one of eight locations, famously fed Angelenos during the Great Depression and became a flagship location for Clifford Clinton’s whimsical decor, which still exists today.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Ahead, find 14 butterfly nail ideas that will take your summer manicure to whimsical new heights.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for whimsical
Cite this Entry
“Whimsical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whimsical. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whimsical
adjective
