levity

noun lev·i·ty \ ˈle-və-tē \

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

See levity defined for English-language learners

See levity defined for kids

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

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.

— neha sharma, New Republic, "Arundhati Roy Has Reinvented the Social Novel," 27 June 2017
Seymour picked two dates in the spring to add a little levity to her training and competition demands.

— james burns, kansascity.com, "Watch this track star run a race in Crocs," 27 June 2017
Completed in February, this watercolor uses fresh tones against a stern-faced Sesshomaru, which helps convey simultaneous feelings of both heaviness and levity.

— brandi neal, Orange County Register, "The Artistic Vision of Geoff Pascual’s ‘Sesshomaru’," 22 June 2017
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.

— kristen yoonsoo kim, Billboard, "Inside 'The Defiant Ones,' the Raw HBO Docuseries on Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine," 22 June 2017
Sunny Odogwu, a starter who had gained invaluable experience and provided levity on and off the field, has transferred.

— christy cabrera chirinos, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hurricanes offensive line feels it has depth, versatility to be a force," 15 June 2017
Winfield Loop, 10676-Michael Gerald McCarthy to Douglas and Karen Ngueyn, $227,000. Levity Pl.,

— Washington Post, "Prince William County home sales," 14 June 2017
The mood has been serious and the testimony often gripping, with a few moments of unplanned levity.

— michael r. sisak, The Seattle Times, "Cosby on trial: Gripping testimony, brisk pace mark Week 1," 10 June 2017
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.

— matt flegenheimer, New York Times, "Comey: Hero, Villain and Shakespearean Character Who Lived Up to Hype," 8 June 2017

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.