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 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 See All Example Sentences for frivolous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frivolous

Adjective

But there’s no reason for alarm; none of the pitchers drafted by the Marlins in July were used in a minor-league game.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
The front camera uses a 135-degree field of view, which introduces minor edge distortion, but that's the price for capturing a broad swath of the road ahead.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of minor

Adjective

Whatever to the silly old poem and whatever to the ceremony and all its stupid little details and whatever to all the rules for daughters.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
His faith in the transformative power of a deeply silly musical about nosy neighbors provides the film with its strongest anchor of relatable humanity.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of silly

Adjective

Book the white, cream, and silver Diaghilev suite, which has double doors that open onto a small balcony with the bay of Positano at your feet.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
Instead, excess testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes the hair follicles to become smaller and then the hair strands to become thinner.

— Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

The only player who can match Mbappé for talent is Haaland who, unlike Mbappé, has a goofy, accessible and affable persona online.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
But his firmly comedic approach, primarily filtered through goofy ironic commentary in the tradition of Monty Python, makes the specificity of his survey go down smoothly.

— Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of goofy

Adjective

Check-in and check-out are swift, valet has relatively little wait time, and the restaurant staff is accustomed to serving meals around performances at the Merrill Theater across the street.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Sep. 2026
That might be a big casserole of stuffing, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, or any situation in which adding too little salt would be a hard deficit to overcome later on.

— Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of little

Adjective

Before the court fight was launched, Edwin Benn, the arbitrator who oversaw 2023 contract negotiations between the city and FOP, warned the City Council that any attempt to undermine his award to the union would be futile.

— Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
It’s also brilliantly written as a futile, pathetic rebellion by men with zero agency or purpose in their own lives.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of futile

Adjective

What begins as a trivial disagreement reaches new proportions regarding how far a lack of dialogue can drive people.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
The book leans on research about decision fatigue—the idea that even trivial choices drain the mental capacity available for harder ones—to argue that the sheer volume of daily inputs, not just their content, has a cost.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of trivial

Adjective

Now my guy is stuck in an insane asylum with a doctor who seems downright giddy to try out some electroshock therapy.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
News from the air punctuated a giddy era of television journalism that was increasingly striving for live, real-time reports.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of frivolous

adjective

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