Definition of levity
1 : excessive or unseemly frivolity She would tolerate no levity in the classroom.
2 : lack of steadiness : changeableness the levity … of the brisk fire — Charles Dickens
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Examples of levity in a Sentence
They managed to find some levity in the situation.
the teachers disapprove of any displays of levity during school assemblies
Recent Examples of levity from the Web
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There are strong echoes of her Booker-winning voice in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: Her writing is still suffused with the delightful whimsy and levity of The God of Small Things.
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Seymour picked two dates in the spring to add a little levity to her training and competition demands.
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Completed in February, this watercolor uses fresh tones against a stern-faced Sesshomaru, which helps convey simultaneous feelings of both heaviness and levity.
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There are moments of levity that break up the heaviness; a young Dre is captured singing along to Nirvana, while the first episode begins with a drunken Tyrese Gibson leaking the news of Apple’s Beats acquisition in a comical viral video.
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Sunny Odogwu, a starter who had gained invaluable experience and provided levity on and off the field, has transferred.
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Winfield Loop, 10676-Michael Gerald McCarthy to Douglas and Karen Ngueyn, $227,000. Levity Pl.,
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The mood has been serious and the testimony often gripping, with a few moments of unplanned levity.
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Mostly, though, attention rarely strayed from the witness chair, where Mr. Comey held his audience with an uncommon skill set for a veteran law enforcement official: a novelist’s instinct for narrative and, occasionally, levity.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'levity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
levity Was Once a Scientific Term
Levity originally was thought to be a physical force exactly like gravity but pulling in the opposite direction, like the helium in a balloon. As recently as the 19th century, scientists were still arguing about its existence. Today levity refers only to lightness in manner. To stern believers of some religious faiths, levity is often regarded as almost sinful. But the word, like its synonym frivolity, now has an old-fashioned ring to it and is usually used only half-seriously.
Origin and Etymology of levity
Latin levitat-, levitas, from levis light in weight — more at light
LEVITY Defined for English Language Learners
levity
playDefinition of levity for English Language Learners
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: a lack of seriousness
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: an amusing quality
Learn More about levity
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See words that rhyme with levity Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for levity Spanish Central: Translation of levity Nglish: Translation of levity for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of levity for Arabic speakers
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