FRIVOLOUS Synonyms: 129 Similar and Opposite Words

frivolous

adjective

ˈfri-və-ləs

Definition of frivolous

as in minor

lacking importance judges are getting sick of people bringing frivolous lawsuits

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of frivolous This is the wrong time for a baseball stadium — or anything that looks frivolous or smacks of cronyism. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2026 Wet paint auctions feel like a distant memory, with frivolous, speculative art buying, especially from 2020 to 2022, now being passé. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026 Are peaches now the perfect example of how pop culture, politics, and perfume merge into something that feels frivolous at first but reveals more about our cultural mindset and mood beyond the initial spritz? — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 19 June 2026 Follies are, by definition, frivolous. — Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for frivolous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frivolous

Adjective

Alongside Sneed, Beasley, who sustained a minor lower-body injury late but remained in the game, finished with 16 points.

— Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
At the tag end of the episode, Bernthal and Holland are filming B-roll footage for the episode’s outro when Holland has a coughing fit that results in a minor case of puking.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 July 2026

Definition of minor

Adjective

This year’s list includes what may be America’s last remaining players with free 2020 eligibility (silly us, thinking that ended last year) — and even a few who began their careers in the 2010s.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Depp engaged the crowd with silly skits for nearly half a hour.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 23 July 2026

Definition of silly

Adjective

The division charged with keeping a handle on parasitic diseases had already been small, with only a few employees designated to parasite work.

— Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
When states lose the authority to set their own food safety and agricultural standards, consumers and small farmers pay the price.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

Sheinbaum has said that little evidence has emerged to substantiate claims of cartels interfering with elections, and noted that a state-level electoral tribunal ratified Rocha’s win in Sinaloa, after examining reports of irregularities.

— Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Music, Fashion, Film wants little to do with 2024’s accessible dance-pop and persistent focus on branding.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 July 2026

Definition of little

Adjective

The group spent six futile months trying to prompt various artificial intelligence chatbots using Birman’s approach.

— Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Here, though, the entire enterprise is vile, and futile, and irredeemable, made worse by the self-delusion of the people who pursue it.

— Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026

Definition of futile

Adjective

The poet begins to lose faith in his subject—why write about such a trivial matter as Europe descends into war?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
An industry-wide standard Microsoft invented to protect Windows, and later Linux, devices from firmware infections has been trivial to bypass for 13 of its 14 years of existence.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026

Definition of trivial

Adjective

Faria offers that audience compassion while drawing giddy irony from what his most out-of-touch characters still think happens in Hollywood.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 July 2026
But at the end of this bizarre game in Miami, this silly 6-4 thriller, this giddy attacking exhibition of some of the world’s best players, and some of the world’s worst defending, England were on the winning side.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026

Definition of giddy

Browse Nearby Words

frivolity

frivolous

frivolousness

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“Frivolous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frivolous. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of frivolous

adjective

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