Synonyms of frolic

frolic 1 of 3

noun

1

as in prank

a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke

we indulgently listened to the senior citizens share memories of long-ago frolics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prank
• adventure
• trick
• escapade
• experience
• caper
• joking
• antic
• practical joke
• time
• roguery
• waggery
• capriccio
• knavery
• gag
• rag
• game
• shine(s)
• dido
• kidding
• shavie
• play
• lark
• jest
• skylarking
• monkeyshine(s)
• horseplay
• performance
• roughhousing
• tomfoolery
• feat
• stunt
• teasing
• rowdyism
• deed
• high jinks
• whimsy
• mission
• maneuver
• hoax
• gambit
• whim
• subterfuge
• shenanigan(s)
• deception
• trickery
• ruse
• vagary
• fooling
• caprice
• wile
• ploy
• hanky-panky
• deceit
• delusion
• stratagem
• conceit
• fraud
• fancy
• sham
• hoodwinking

2

as in spree

a time or instance of carefree fun

took the long weekend as a three-day frolic and spent it at the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spree
• romp
• gambol
• revel
• lark
• fling
• rollick
• idyll
• frisk
• festivity
• ploy
• binge
• escapade
• carouse
• caper
• prank
• merrymaking
• souse
• amusement
• antic
• bender
• merriment
• bum
• enjoyment
• toot
• entertainment
• splore
• indulgence
• pleasure
• shenanigan(s)
• diversion
• field day
• bust
• recreation
• monkeyshine(s)
• brannigan
• self-indulgence

3

as in relaxation

activity engaged in to amuse oneself

firmly believes that childhood should be a time of carefree frolic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• relaxation
• fun
• recreation
• amusement
• entertainment
• play
• enjoyment
• frolicking
• rollicking
• dalliance
• sport
• pleasure
• playfulness
• romping
• fun and games
• delight
• diversion
• hobby
• pastime
• gamboling
• mischief
• revel
• lark
• merrymaking
• devilment
• kick
• merriment
• hobbyhorse
• revelry
• jinks
• wantonness
• pleasance
• hilarity
• rascality
• horseplay
• fling
• tomfoolery
• spree
• mischievousness
• rollick
• buffoonery
• hob
• friskiness
• devilry
• sportiveness
• knavery
• binge
• high jinks
• roguishness
• hanky-panky
• impishness
• whoopee
• waggery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• work
• labor
• drudgery
• duty
• responsibility
• obligation

frolic

2 of 3

adjective

ˈfrä-lik 

as in joyful

joyously unrestrained

the frolic atmosphere that envelops New Orleans during Mardi Gras

Synonyms & Similar Words

• joyful
• exuberant
• lively
• frolicsome
• bubbly
• effervescent
• buoyant
• vivacious
• bouncy
• gay
• ecstatic
• giddy
• gamesome
• lyric
• high-spirited
• crank
• uninhibited
• carefree
• outgoing
• boisterous
• lighthearted
• raucous
• bold
• rowdy
• rollicking
• silly
• sprightly
• extroverted
• insouciant
• rapturous
• euphoric
• impudent
• saucy
• happy-go-lucky
• brazen
• insolent
• overexuberant
• impertinent
• audacious
• brash
• light-headed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sullen
• restrained
• subdued
• inhibited
• repressed
• constrained
• low-spirited
• phlegmatic
• stolid
• impassive
• stoic
• depressed
• morose
• surly
• glum
• dour

frolic

3 of 3

verb

1

as in to cavort

to play and run about happily

scores of swimmers were frolicking in the ocean surf along the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cavort
• dance
• romp
• hop
• gambol
• leap
• skip
• rollick
• lark
• caper
• tumble
• sport
• revel
• frisk
• cut capers
• disport
• prance
• carouse
• bound
• spring
• lope
• trip
• roister
• kick up one's heels
• curvet
• cut up
• horse around
• fool around
• carry on
• clown
• roughhouse
• joyride
• kite
• skylark

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stew
• sulk
• pout
• mope

2

as in to play

to engage in activity for amusement

he would rather frolic than do yard work any day of the week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• play
• entertain
• recreate
• toy
• sport
• relax
• rollick
• disport
• cavort
• amuse
• romp
• joke
• delight
• gambol
• rest
• please
• dabble
• skylark
• dally
• frisk
• trifle
• hang
• tease
• idle
• divert
• dawdle
• bum (around)
• fiddle (around)
• lounge (around or about)
• jest
• putter (around)
• loaf
• slack (off)
• hang about
• screw around
• goldbrick
• mess around

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• work
• toil
• slave
• struggle
• strive
• labor
• sweat
• plug (away)
• strain
• plod
• drudge

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of frolic

Noun

In tom thit heo, from southern Vietnam, shrimp and thin slices of pork shoulder frolic in a stir-fry heady with lemongrass and black pepper. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 14 Apr. 2026

And Ben Ahlers, who plays the adult Happy, comes with that actor’s famously warm smile and chirpy demeanor, slowly worn down here before your eyes, as the permissible frolics of youth turn into the stasis of one going nowhere. — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026

Adjective

Go ahead, frolic outdoors, but be alert to the seasonal hazards! — Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 26 June 2025

Pods of porpoises frolic, and a playful minke whale shimmers in the afternoon sun. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2024

Verb

Meanwhile, Kaia Gerber and Hailey Bieber have frolicked NYC’s streets in Repetto’s slim ballet flats and pumps. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 17 July 2026

Nothing etches itself in your heart quite like the memory of watching a pack of energetic African wild dogs frolicking, a lioness and her cubs dozing on the Kalahari with your own kids tucked in close. — Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 June 2026

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