1
as in minor
lacking importance
judges are getting sick of people bringing frivolous lawsuits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
lacking in seriousness or maturity
when asked by the waiter if we wanted anything else that evening, we made a frivolous request for free drinks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frivolous
By this logic, emergency rooms are sunk costs and preventative care is a frivolous indulgence.
—
Andrew Behar, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
His dad, who was on assignment for Pathé News, had covered serious news stories like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping in 1932 and the Cuban revolution of 1933 and more frivolous events like an Esther Williams aqua ballet in Miami Beach.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026
The title song was appropriately fun and frivolous for a movie that, among other things, featured Porky Pig dunking the basketball.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2026
The kennel club responded that it’s committed to canine health and called the suit frivolous.
—Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frivolous
Andrew Behar, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
His dad, who was on assignment for Pathé News, had covered serious news stories like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping in 1932 and the Cuban revolution of 1933 and more frivolous events like an Esther Williams aqua ballet in Miami Beach.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026
The title song was appropriately fun and frivolous for a movie that, among other things, featured Porky Pig dunking the basketball.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2026
The kennel club responded that it’s committed to canine health and called the suit frivolous.
—Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frivolous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frivolous
Adjective
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There could be minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas, periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms, and urban and small stream flooding.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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There is at least some truth that social media use may cause a minor rise in dopamine levels, but not in a way that resembles drugs or qualifies as addiction.—
William Proctor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Menu references to ancient reptiles — plus the brand’s silly mascot, a dinosaur in a toque — make fast food feel more like fun food.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Apr. 2026
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What appears to be a bouncy, silly romp about a slightly surreal situation (Murray plays Phil, a weatherman reliving the same day over and over) is, at its core, actually quite deep.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It was found [that] the actual tumor was pretty small.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
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Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the sketch is the same goofy girl as in my mirror—V-neck T-shirt, wide forehead, low ponytail showing my ear piercings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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With respect to any of the real deaths on display in the 1978 Faces of Death, the movie is mostly just goofy.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact, with the two sides blaming each other for violations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Start by trimming the tough, dry ends off the bunch and chop them into little logs.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Tackling plant problems at the wrong time in a plant’s or insect’s life cycle can be futile and environmentally harmful.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
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Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.—
Dale Robertson,
Houston Chronicle,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Trotsky’s arguments about revolution in one nation versus a revolution of the international proletariat, like the fine argumentative tracery of Paul’s Jewish Christians versus Greek ones, seemed vital to the movement at the time but weirdly trivial and abstract to those outside it.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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This might all seem trivial, but a mere annoyance compounds when it must be repeated every week for the rest of your life.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Titaníque is the kind of giddy, dippy, fan-friendly spectacle that invites you to arrive a glass-and-a-half deep, literally or spiritually.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
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An outsider romance peppered with gallows humor and bubbling over with giddy optimism, Harold and Maude is a life-affirming, weirdly wonderful film about a rich kid with a death wish and his love affair with an exuberant 79-year-old woman.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frivolous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frivolous. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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