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

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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

Steppach, 49, was the owner of Tim’s Tavern on Edison Avenue, where people protested daily in December after Steppach pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.

— Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 3 Sep. 2026
The anger fueled the rise of Sanseito, a minor right-wing party that rallied against immigrants in recent elections, putting pressure on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party government.

— Christine Miyawaki, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of minor

Adjective

Playing the part largely for laughs, Moore actually has more in common with Lazenby than Connery; his Bond is softer and sillier than the original, an approach Moore would double down on in later films — often to the chagrin of Bond purists.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
For Lance Oppenheim, Primetime’s DNA resides inside a silly Cameo video.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of silly

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

The attendees were hip, all ages, and slightly giddy, ready to have whales blow their minds.

— Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Newcomers Álvarez and Knight couldn’t be better in their newlywed roles, convincing in their giddy love scenes, their casual affections, their unwanted suspicions and, most of all, their terror at whatever is lurking in the air and in their souls.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of giddy

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frivolity

frivolous

frivolousness

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“Frivolous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frivolous. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of frivolous

adjective

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