as in lightness
a lack of seriousness often at an improper time
the boys were scolded for joking during the funeral service, which was hardly the time for frivolity
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frivolity
For the forgiving, these simulcasts have insights and frivolities each Monday.
—
Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
This May the Eleventh Circuit denied him relief from a $25,000 Tax Court frivolity penalty.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
And to be brought here to discover the one-night-only production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, directed by Rob Ashford for the Tangiers Charity Plays—as well as all manner of attendant frivolities—is the icing on the cake.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 18 July 2025
Doris is practical, independent, and has no time for frivolities — and she’s passed those qualities onto her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood).
—Sezín Devi Koehler, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for frivolity
Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
This May the Eleventh Circuit denied him relief from a $25,000 Tax Court frivolity penalty.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
And to be brought here to discover the one-night-only production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, directed by Rob Ashford for the Tangiers Charity Plays—as well as all manner of attendant frivolities—is the icing on the cake.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 18 July 2025
Doris is practical, independent, and has no time for frivolities — and she’s passed those qualities onto her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood).
—Sezín Devi Koehler, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for frivolity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frivolity
Noun
-
Her film holds a rare balance of lightness and depth, moving originally between humor and vulnerability without ever losing emotional truth.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The frontier dissolves into the lightness of air, and the world is full of holes.—
Henry Freedland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While there are some moments of excessive silliness, the filmmaker mainly finds the proper balance throughout, resulting in a winning movie that should satisfy a fairly wide age group.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The silliness of this analysis could at least be matched by a silliness in tone.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But the glee wouldn’t last long.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Swinging from the overhanging branches and darting through the woods, the animals were heading toward a nearby housing project, their pink faces lit with glee.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As Milchick, Tillman infused an unnerving cheerfulness into Lumon Industries’ macrodata refinement supervisor, a character who became increasingly central in Season 2.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Her vivacious attitude connects her with Aries (Stacey’s actual birthday is April 3) due to her fearlessness and cheerfulness in situations, no matter what is thrown at her.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Making room for levity is, then, a way of admitting the human—not through the granular and intimate detail that lends Ferrante’s novels their power but through a broader concession to nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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Making room for levity is, then, a way of admitting the human—not through the granular and intimate detail that lends Ferrante’s novels their power but through a broader concession to nature.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This flippancy may have more than a little to do with the freediving community’s attitude toward Šobat’s breath-holding achievements.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
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The flippancy with which these characters are made to bite the dust establishes the film’s combustible tone.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frivolity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frivolity. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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