whimsical

adjective whim·si·cal \ ˈhwim-zi-kəl , ˈwim- \

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of whimsical

1 a : resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice; especially : lightly fanciful

whimsical decorations

b : subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change

2 : full of, actuated by, or exhibiting whims

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whimsicality

play \ˌhwim-zə-ˈka-lə-tē, ˌwim-\ noun

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whimsically

play \ˈhwim-zi-k(ə-)lē, ˈwim-\ adverb

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whimsicalness

play \ˈhwim-zi-kəl-nəs, ˈwim-\ noun

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Examples of whimsical in a Sentence

You can practically taste the tropics in these whimsical doughnuts. Ripe bananas, toasted coconut and your favorite rum transform traditional doughnuts into paradisiacal ones. —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

Recent Examples of whimsical from the Web

At The Baffler, Zach Webb looks behind the Dream Machine’s whimsical facade to pick apart its seamy underbelly.

— michelle weber, Longreads, "You’ll Dream What We Tell You To Dream and You’ll Like It," 5 May 2018
Katie Sanderson, Oceanside Museum of Art exhibition manager, will exploration into the world of whimsical dreamer and designed Rolly Crump, an original Disney Imagineer.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Kids gardening class focuses on Bugs ... community events," 4 May 2018
Cake combines Kalman’s whimsical paintings and wistful text with recipes by her friend Barbara Scott-Goodman.

— christine muhlke, Bon Appetit, "Artist Maira Kalman Carries Cake in Her Suitcase," 4 May 2018
The drawings depict a lush, fantastical land filled with greenery and whimsical architecture dedicated to the studio’s oeuvre of films.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "Studio Ghibli, maker of ‘Spirited Away’, reveals plans for amusement park," 3 May 2018
Through carefree commercials, whimsical posters, and even clothing and makeup collaborations, music festivals are promoted as a leave-your-cares-at-the-door-and-don’t-think-about-real-world-problems fantasy land.

— isabel sophia dieppa, Marie Claire, "Women Are Being Harassed at Music Festivals in Scary Numbers—WTF Is Going On?," 2 May 2018
Leiber's handbag collection, which included leather styles and later crystal bags in whimsical shapes from teddy bears to teapots, which are hugely popular collectibles, costing about $3,000-$6,000.

— joy sewing, Houston Chronicle, "In remembrance: A conversation with handbag designer Judith Leiber," 1 May 2018
In keeping with the setting, tables featured whimsical, golden zoo animals as part of the centerpiece displays.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "Mount Carmel Academy's seasonal celebrating at gala," 29 Apr. 2018
Image Polixeni Papapetrou, a photographer known for whimsical, eerie, somewhat disturbing pictures that often featured her children and their friends in odd costumes, died on April 11 in Fitzroy, Australia, near Melbourne.

— neil genzlinger, New York Times, "Polixeni Papapetrou, Photographer With an Eerie Eye, Dies at 57," 27 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whimsical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Trace whimsical Back to the 16th Century

As you may have guessed, the words whimsical, whim, and whimsy are related. All three ultimately derive from the word whim-wham ("a whimsical object" or "a whim"), which is of unknown origin and dates to at least 1500. Whimsy was the first of the three to spin off from whim-wham, debuting in print in 1605. English speakers then added the adjective suffix -ical to whimsy to create whimsical, dating from 1653. Whim, which came about as a shortened version of whim-wham, appeared as early as 1641 in a sense that is now obsolete, but its current sense of "a sudden wish, desire, or change of mind" didn't appear in print until 1686.