as in scatterbrain
a silly flighty person
forced to endure a long flight with a flibbertigibbet as a seat companion
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Recent Examples of flibbertigibbet
Winnie, on the other hand, is a flibbertigibbet of stream-of-consciousness.
—
Han Ong, New Yorker, 22 June 2025
Duvall is a big reason why: All the film’s insights into the slipperiness of identity are there in her casually virtuosic, veritable dual performance, in which a funny flibbertigibbet loses hold of herself as the world around seems to splinter into something frighteningly new.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 19 July 2024
Projects about Monroe have handled her personal life to varying degrees of success, often leaning into her flibbertigibbet persona, her struggles with addiction, and the paradox of her oozing sexuality and her little girl brokenness.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2023
Miranda Hart is touching as the flibbertigibbet Miss Bates, whom Emma thoughtlessly mocks.
—Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Feb. 2020
The thought leader of the hippie girls is played by that avatar of feminine passive-aggressive flibbertigibbet solipsism, Lena Dunham, the polar opposite of the no-nonsense, two-fisted, self-contained, masculine ideal represented by Cliff.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 13 Dec. 2019
Instead of acting cool and sophisticated our narrator prattled like a flibbertigibbet.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2018
Warning: The book has my three-year-old calling her grandmother a flibbertigibbet.
—Megan Gambino, Smithsonian, 18 Dec. 2017
And never mind that its mother is a flibbertigibbet who has no business having a baby.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 29 Sep. 2017
Han Ong, New Yorker, 22 June 2025
Duvall is a big reason why: All the film’s insights into the slipperiness of identity are there in her casually virtuosic, veritable dual performance, in which a funny flibbertigibbet loses hold of herself as the world around seems to splinter into something frighteningly new.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 19 July 2024
Projects about Monroe have handled her personal life to varying degrees of success, often leaning into her flibbertigibbet persona, her struggles with addiction, and the paradox of her oozing sexuality and her little girl brokenness.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2023
Miranda Hart is touching as the flibbertigibbet Miss Bates, whom Emma thoughtlessly mocks.
—Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Feb. 2020
The thought leader of the hippie girls is played by that avatar of feminine passive-aggressive flibbertigibbet solipsism, Lena Dunham, the polar opposite of the no-nonsense, two-fisted, self-contained, masculine ideal represented by Cliff.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 13 Dec. 2019
Instead of acting cool and sophisticated our narrator prattled like a flibbertigibbet.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2018
Warning: The book has my three-year-old calling her grandmother a flibbertigibbet.
—Megan Gambino, Smithsonian, 18 Dec. 2017
And never mind that its mother is a flibbertigibbet who has no business having a baby.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 29 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flibbertigibbet
Noun
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Rather than stay pigeonholed as a ditz, Simpson (who just released new music for the first time in 15 years) went on to launch her own fashion brand, which hit $1 billion in sales in 2015 and is still going strong today.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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Besides offering a cash prize of up to $250,000, the show can help change perception of a villain or a ditz and be a springboard for their next casting.—
Shivani Gonzalez,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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It was shot in portrait because it was shot in Instagram by and for a woman who was losing her mind in quarantine and had fully let the sillies take the wheel.—
Ego Nwodim,
TIME,
12 Feb. 2025
-
Some more sillies from last night’s GRAMMY nominees reception.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Where that show’s boss (played by Steve Carell) was a bit of an inappropriate fool, Gleeson’s character is more idealistic.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
-
These jokers in Indianapolis acting the fool.—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The ritual floats on, coming around each summer like the willow warbler or the common cuckoo.—
Jordan Michelman,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
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The Real Housewives’ theme — no matter the franchise — gives us a wink of cuckoo calm before the storm.—
Olivia Crandall,
Vulture,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Made from the fatty liver of a duck or goose, most foie gras production faces accusations of force-feeding the animals.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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The short’s synopsis reads: After the death of her husband, Janet decides to distract herself by rearing a goose, which is to be the centrepiece of her Christmas dinner.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flibbertigibbet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flibbertigibbet. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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