frolicsome

adjective

ˈfrä-lik-səm How to pronounce frolicsome (audio)
Definition of frolicsomenext
1
as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing a frolicsome uncle who was a favorite among his relatives

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in joyful
joyously unrestrained teachers smiling at the frolicsome students leaving school for summer vacation

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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 frolicsome The comedy is still the thing in this frolicsome outdoor production, which takes place in the charming ambiance of the festival’s portable, mini-Elizabethan venue. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 These wall drawings—at the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, in 2024; the Art Institute of Chicago, in 2025; and Houston’s Menil Collection, in 2025—were all temporary, like frolicsome mirages. — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026 The vitality of her language, its frolicsome dance with personification, communicates its own resistance in the face of an indifferent world, exploited by imperialist greed and barbaric, militant might. — Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026 The show starts frolicsome and then morphs into a farce that grows more than a little hellish, NPR critic John Powers writes. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 May 2026 On April 4, Ogden will take part in the frolicsome, 100 percent amateur Nordic X race at the tiny Cochran’s Ski Area in Vermont. — Bill Donahue, Outside, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frolicsome
  1. playful
  2. joyful
  3. lively
  4. exuberant
  5. frolic
  6. vivacious
  7. effervescent
  8. buoyant
Adjective
  • Eisenberg’s playful comedy, which just premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, is sometimes a musical and occasionally a thriller.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • At a gathering with other artists, a seemingly playful party game culminates in an excruciating monologue about child abuse.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of playful
Adjective
  • Lea Salonga celebrated her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, marking a joyful moment in her storied career and becoming the first Filipina to be recognized with the honor.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Sanguinetti frames Guillermina and Belinda’s presence as a joyful intervention into this world, one where play can coexist with labor.
    — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of joyful
Adjective
  • Stop into Mercat Municipal, a lively indoor market where locals shop for fresh produce, meat, and fish.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The crowd outside the courthouse was liveliest in late August, when dozens of women wearing pink rallied to show support for Clancy and raise awareness about postpartum mental health, the central pillar of Clancy’s defense.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of lively
Adjective
  • That penalty drew an exuberant first-down signal from Belichick, who is normally as stoic as an Easter Island statue.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The choreography of the dozen-plus players on the stage is exuberant, playful and brilliantly timed, creating moments that draw both applause and gasps of joy from the crowd.
    — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of exuberant
Adjective
  • For those who want to bring their furry friends along, head to Bonita Beach Dog Park, a dog-friendly, off-leash tidal flat where pups can roam freely and frolic in the shallow waters.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
  • But today, beachgoers continue to stroll, sunbathe and frolic buck naked on that stretch of sand, in defiance of the law.
    — Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of frolic
Adjective
  • And thanks to her puppeteer Frank Oz, who performed the character from early in her history until the beginning of the aughts, her highly romantic and vivacious personality came to life.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Dolly was colorful and vivacious and unapologetic, and had more than a bit of drag queen in her.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of vivacious
Adjective
  • Different perspective Matthew is typically a high-energy, effervescent and extroverted kid.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The gregarious and media-savvy Hilton has been waging an energetic and effervescent run for governor, with multiple appearances a day and frequent updates to his cheeky social media accounts.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of effervescent
Adjective
  • So, too, do the antics of his estate manager (a buoyant Sam Adegoke), always concocting money-making schemes, and the wide-eyed adoration of the girl next door (Amelia Mason, deftly balancing naïveté with seductiveness), who wants to save him.
    — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The structure also remained buoyant after cracking, damage at key connections and the fracture of an entire lattice layer.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of buoyant

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Cite this Entry

“Frolicsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frolicsome. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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