as in notion
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whim
Florida law should not be conformed to Israel’s whims on that matter.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Don't trust people off of a whim.
—Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Like Vrabel gave me first true opportunity to play real football in the NFL and that was off of a whim (in Tennessee).
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
But it may also be remembered as the moment where Europe broke away from the United States, exasperated by a world run solely by hard American power at the whims of an ever imperial presidency.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whim
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Don't trust people off of a whim.
—Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Like Vrabel gave me first true opportunity to play real football in the NFL and that was off of a whim (in Tennessee).
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
But it may also be remembered as the moment where Europe broke away from the United States, exasperated by a world run solely by hard American power at the whims of an ever imperial presidency.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whim
Noun
-
The naive notion that America protects its own has remained largely intact, until the current administration declared that anyone who’s not with them is against them.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
For many Americans, Wall Street is just – 38% of the households who don't have stocks, Wall Street is this abstract notion.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Every day, by caprice, the lives of ordinary, law-abiding people—our neighbors—are being destroyed.—
Erin Neil,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Much of Trump’s governance reflects his own moral and political caprice.—
Anthony Dominguez,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Anyone who has made an impulsive decision in a moment of intense emotion knows that feelings shape our choices just as much as rational thought.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
While investors may balk at the thought of holding bonds from fiscal basket cases like Chicago or the state of Illinois, Jones says actual defaults are almost unheard-of, since government entities don’t go out of business.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Anyone who has watched Survivor knows vagaries are the enemy of success, and ultimately the ringleader of Glam, Ciara, still goes down this week.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
-
That’s your choice to prioritize more dependable success over bragging rights for coaxing a half dead super-choice plant through the vagaries of a yo-yo bit of winter.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
All that whimsy and quirk might have been cloying, but the film has real things on its mind, including the mundane disappointments and insecurities of adult life.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Jan. 2026
-
That restraint dissolves inside the rooms, where geometric wall treatments and pops of color introduce a welcome sense of whimsy.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
AFAR Media,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Alessandro Michele, at Valentino, was also thinking of how to collide reality and fantasy, staging his collection in nooks inspired by the kaiser panorama, an early 20th century precursor to cinema, in which viewers sat around a circle, staring into a contraption displaying slides.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Yeah, actor Rob Riggle caught grief in his fantasy football league.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In other words, something about a building captures the fancy of an elite crowd, a few key people buy there, giving it their seal of approval, and a frenzy ensues.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The formula also includes Persian silk tree extract, a fancy-sounding ingredient that speeds up your skin’s healing process, resulting in a brighter, fresher complexion.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Former chairman Jeff Shi has gone and Nathan Shi has made a positive impression with his words since taking charge, but Fosun’s actions, at least in terms of transfers, have felt depressingly familiar.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Last year, Newsom’s personal social-media accounts gained more than five million new followers, and clocked billions of views and impressions.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whim. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
