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 That paper trail is your best defense against frivolous damage claims. — Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 27 July 2026 By contrast, to invoke Rule 11 the asserted cause of action has to be frivolous, meaning that there is literally no credible evidence and/or no legal authority to assert the cause of action. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 The decision followed the Columbia Association's ethics panel concluding that Greenberg, Emery, and Avery filed a frivolous ethics complaint. — Dennis Valera, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Her attorneys argued that the fee award would help to deter frivolous and retaliatory suits against accusers in the future. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for frivolous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frivolous

Adjective

Other areas of concern are the library system's self-check-out kiosks, instances in which minor teenagers handle materials while working or volunteering at a branch, and platforms for loaning electronic materials, Adams said.

— Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
His discipline could be minor compared to the hit on his reputation.

— Jim Reineking, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of minor

Adjective

That’s a dangerous prospect for any country, but especially for Singapore, crammed into a space smaller than New York City.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
But after home brewers were able to show the appeal of hoppy IPAs, malty stouts and citrusy wheat ales, that eventually led to a boom in small breweries.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

So when Billie and Issa get an actual offer for drinks with two firefighters who come to the house, Billie puts on a goofy British accent à la Issa and turns them down, choosing a quiet night at home with her friend instead.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
That was therapeutic for these professional dancers who got to be silly and goofy, but confidently.

— Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of goofy

Adjective

Big picture The league and the union are meeting regularly on various topics, but their disagreement on core economics — whether to move to a cap system — leaves little room for progress on the major issues.

— Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
But that bipartisan effort was immediately panned by conservative groups, and little else has emerged as a serious solution.

— Ashley Lopez, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of little

Adjective

In sick bay, M’Benga tries to remove the table and end his life so Chapel can give up on him, an effort that proves futile.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Its storyline spins the futile, determined chase of Wile to one day capture Roadrunner as something admirable, and applies that underdog mentality to the average person trying to navigate a late capitalist landscape that values profits over people.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of futile

Adjective

Getting that apparently trivial behavior working involved Home Assistant, MQTT, custom software, and more Claude, Codex and ChatGPT tokens than one should reasonably associate with boiling pasta.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2026
Thousands of comments flooded the post mocking the department for spending its time on such a trivial matter.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of trivial

Adjective

Central Market, released in 2009, proved that his idiosyncratic melodic sensibility could translate to a more symphonic setting, with the Wordless Music Orchestra giving his giddy, loop-heavy compositions a bustling, bristling density.

— Reed Jackson, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026
All this scattershot world-building and world-visiting allows for some colorfully diverting vignettes, in which production designer Alexandra Walker and costume designer Ann Maskrey get to show off their giddy, gaudy wares.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of frivolous

adjective

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