1
as in unsubstantial
being of a material lacking in sturdiness or substance
a flimsy scarf that was more for decoration than for warmth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unlikely
not likely to be true or to occur
"The check is in the mail" is a pretty flimsy and tired excuse
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flimsy
The straps are just the right width to lift your (also) growing chest, without digging into your shoulders like flimsy spaghetti straps would.
—
Olivia Dubyak, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Without clarifying legislation, sweepstakes casino platforms will continue to skirt existing Indiana law based on a flimsy – and judicially rejected – legal premise, and new entrants will continue to flood the market.
—Daniel Wallach, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Lightweight glasses frames used to feel flimsy or temporary.
—Ethan Stone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Jan. 2026
Its distinctive suits were here imbued with a relaxed vibe, magnified by tonal combinations and easy yet effective styling choices, like trading classic shirts for flimsy turtlenecks.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flimsy
Olivia Dubyak, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Without clarifying legislation, sweepstakes casino platforms will continue to skirt existing Indiana law based on a flimsy – and judicially rejected – legal premise, and new entrants will continue to flood the market.
—Daniel Wallach, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Lightweight glasses frames used to feel flimsy or temporary.
—Ethan Stone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Jan. 2026
Its distinctive suits were here imbued with a relaxed vibe, magnified by tonal combinations and easy yet effective styling choices, like trading classic shirts for flimsy turtlenecks.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flimsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flimsy
Adjective
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This can alter the amount and types of ACE-inhibiting peptides created during fermentation2—and possibly account for kombucha's unsubstantial effect on blood pressure.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
27 Dec. 2025
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Then again … This really does sum up Reeves’s unsubstantial performance as Jonathan Harker, whose new client is definitely up to no good.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There’s unlikely to be much appetite in the country or elsewhere in the region for an overhaul – especially as China and Brazil are planning a railway corridor linking the country, and its exports like soybeans and iron ore, to the Peruvian port.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
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As crypto becomes more connected to the global financial market, price analysis is unlikely to cover all of them.—
Matthew Kayser,
Freep.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Oliver Rackham, the great historian of the British countryside, devoted a not insubstantial portion of his career to rebutting this claim, noting that there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that these punishments were ever carried out.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Republican lawmakers and state attorneys general have challenged the basis of those recommendations, arguing that the evidence used to support them is insubstantial.—
Selena Simmons-Duffin,
NPR,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Deuterons assemble well after the 100 MeV fireball cools, explaining how fragile nuclei endure extreme conditions.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In the latest violence rattling the fragile ceasefire, medics said two men were killed by Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis, in an area adjacent to where the army operates.—
Nidal al-Mughrabi,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Perverts By turns a budding chart sensation, a political firebrand, and an enthusiastic cataloguer of cryptids, Ethel Cain interrupts a stream of gossamer pop, folk, and rock records with Perverts, a droning rejection of the accessibility of her 2022 Billboard top-ten debut Preacher’s Daughter.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
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No matter how far-fetched the premise or gossamer-thin the story, the musical invites (compels) us to go along with its essential surrealism, to travel to that dream space where everyday life suddenly moves and sounds deliriously out of this world.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
7 May 2020
Adjective
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These aren’t just gauzy tales from the past.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
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In ’50s England, her professional academic lesbian shows up in a provocatively sexy outfit with a gauzy bodice.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Every screening kicked off with a video tribute to him, and each replay drove home the sheer heroic improbability of what Redford had accomplished.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
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The sheer bulk of the suit might confuse the human eye from a distance, but in large open spaces, like snowfields, anything that looks a little odd will stand out.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Musk and SpaceX have sought to steer a delicate course in the war.—
Aamer Madhani,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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Robbie’s delicate glam was the work of Pati Dubroff.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flimsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimsy. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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