Synonyms of frivolous

frivolous

adjective

ˈfri-və-ləs 

1

as in minor

lacking importance

judges are getting sick of people bringing frivolous lawsuits

Synonyms & Similar Words

• minor
• small
• little
• trivial
• unimportant
• worthless
• slight
• foolish
• trifling
• insignificant
• incidental
• inconsequential
• nugatory
• petty
• inconsiderable
• negligible
• small-fry
• Mickey Mouse
• minute
• neither here nor there
• fiddling
• one-horse
• small-time
• obscure
• anonymous
• unknown
• jerkwater
• nickel-and-dime
• paltry
• nameless
• uncelebrated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• important
• meaningful
• substantial
• major
• significant
• big
• consequential
• momentous
• eventful
• weighty
• fatal
• material
• decisive
• fateful
• dominant
• principal
• valuable
• overbearing
• outstanding
• worthy
• worthwhile
• prominent
• chief
• unfrivolous
• impressive
• remarkable
• exceptional
• distinctive
• overriding
• great
• eminent
• distinguished
• famous
• illustrious
• basic
• overmastering
• essential
• fundamental
• prestigious
• notorious
• key
• renowned
• all-important
• preeminent

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

• silly
• goofy
• futile
• giddy
• playful
• puerile
• foolish
• ditzy
• scatterbrained
• harebrained
• frothy
• flighty
• yeasty
• light-minded
• inane
• thoughtless
• happy
• scatty
• dizzy
• featherbrained
• nonsensical
• fatuous
• superficial
• crazy
• shallow
• birdbrained
• flippant
• light-headed
• witless
• lighthearted
• exuberant
• daffy
• daft
• giggly
• fluttery
• light
• sappy
• fruity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• serious
• earnest
• sober
• thoughtful
• somber
• melancholy
• grave
• serious-minded
• unfrivolous
• severe
• heavy
• solemn
• dignified
• staid
• sedate
• no-nonsense

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of frivolous

You could be tempted to dismiss a creative venture or categorize a social invite as frivolous, all because there are more productive things to do. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Credit as a coping mechanism - Rossman pushes back on the idea that Gen Z debt comes from frivolous spending. — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence in a Texas federal prison camp, had argued she was selectively prosecuted as a scapegoat, but the judge dismissed those claims as frivolous. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

In the tumultuous, post-COVID global landscape, there’s something fundamentally frivolous about getting wrapped up in your own personal dramas. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026