frolicsome

adjective

frol·​ic·​some ˈfrä-lik-səm How to pronounce frolicsome (audio)
Synonyms of frolicsomenext
: full of gaiety : playful, sportive

Synonyms of frolicsome

Examples of frolicsome in a Sentence

a frolicsome uncle who was a favorite among his relatives teachers smiling at the frolicsome students leaving school for summer vacation
Recent Examples on the Web
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These wall drawings—at the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, in 2024; the Art Institute of Chicago, in 2025; and Houston’s Menil Collection, in 2025—were all temporary, like frolicsome mirages. Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026 The vitality of her language, its frolicsome dance with personification, communicates its own resistance in the face of an indifferent world, exploited by imperialist greed and barbaric, militant might. Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026 The show starts frolicsome and then morphs into a farce that grows more than a little hellish, NPR critic John Powers writes. Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 May 2026 On April 4, Ogden will take part in the frolicsome, 100 percent amateur Nordic X race at the tiny Cochran’s Ski Area in Vermont. Bill Donahue, Outside, 14 Feb. 2026 Even Bauman’s funniest musical bits get swallowed in the show’s frothy, frolicsome relentlessness. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of frolicsome was in 1699

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Cite this Entry

“Frolicsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frolicsome. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

frolicsome

adjective
frol·​ic·​some ˈfräl-ik-səm How to pronounce frolicsome (audio)
: full of high spirits : given to frolic : playful, frisky

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