1
as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
a frolicsome uncle who was a favorite among his relatives
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Recent Examples of frolicsome
Known for her glamorous pursuits and doomed affairs, Princess Margaret has gone down in history as the frolicsome foil to her ever poised and solemn sister, Queen Elizabeth II.
—
Maggie Turner, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025
Ah, but in the decades that Kernan spent meticulously researching this biography, a filmed version of the play was turned up, so admirers of Schuyler can now behold the young, frolicsome incarnations of him, O’Hara, and Freilicher, among others, in footage shot during two weeks in the Hamptons.
—Dan Chiasson, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Even Bauman’s funniest musical bits get swallowed in the show’s frothy, frolicsome relentlessness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
Both concentrated on paintings of frolicsome, amorous bunnies.
—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2023
On their first tour together in six years, Springsteen, 73, was physical and frolicsome, his taut face routinely enveloped in a smile, while his dynamic 18-member band helped take his songs, some of them nearly 50 years old, to new heights.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
Men will be boys once more, and staid matrons will attempt to be frolicsome girls.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2022
But back in the aughts, before Ganni's frolicsome offering of poplin collared dresses and knee-high chelsea boots became an unofficial uniform for western women in their mid-twenties and beyond, the company dealt exclusively in cashmere.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022
Maggie Turner, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025
Ah, but in the decades that Kernan spent meticulously researching this biography, a filmed version of the play was turned up, so admirers of Schuyler can now behold the young, frolicsome incarnations of him, O’Hara, and Freilicher, among others, in footage shot during two weeks in the Hamptons.
—Dan Chiasson, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Even Bauman’s funniest musical bits get swallowed in the show’s frothy, frolicsome relentlessness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
Both concentrated on paintings of frolicsome, amorous bunnies.
—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2023
On their first tour together in six years, Springsteen, 73, was physical and frolicsome, his taut face routinely enveloped in a smile, while his dynamic 18-member band helped take his songs, some of them nearly 50 years old, to new heights.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
Men will be boys once more, and staid matrons will attempt to be frolicsome girls.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2022
But back in the aughts, before Ganni's frolicsome offering of poplin collared dresses and knee-high chelsea boots became an unofficial uniform for western women in their mid-twenties and beyond, the company dealt exclusively in cashmere.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frolicsome
Adjective
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Think pét-nat’s playful fizz, fancy kombucha in a wine bottle, zero-proof sparklers, including Elton John’s new bubbly.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Bags This playful, socially minded brand from Spain was created four years ago by Paloma Hernández Tamame, and creates colorful, customizable handbags with decor using children’s construction blocks.—
Alex Wynne,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Fullerton players were disappointed, but eventually joyful.—
Martin Henderson,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Zoo officials described the birth as a rare and joyful milestone not only for the National Zoo, but for Asian elephant conservation more broadly.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But smart casting, witty writing, lively directing, and artful character development have also yielded the rare superhero riff that, as Kovak puts it, finds the human underneath.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
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For 30 minutes, the producers mostly paint with a warm, lively palette, whisking fragments of IDM, ghettotech, and house into a hypnotic swirl.—
Rae-Aila Crumble,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the 1990s, Dave and Nadine Lipson purchased the 37,000-acre property and renamed it Paws Up (formerly The Resort at Paws Up) after their dogs’ exuberant greeting.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Jan. 2026
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Ian Roberts, a native of Guyana in South America and a former Olympic runner, ascended as an exuberant and inspiring leader over a two-decade career in urban education.—
Hannah Fingerhut,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Alongside her, child actors dance and frolic with shadow puppetry in the land of make-believe, where youths go on adventures and learn math, science and reading skills.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Jan. 2026
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Alongside her, child actors dance and frolic with shadow puppetry in the land of make-believe, where youths go on adventures and learn math, science and reading skills.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While the film is not entirely based on her own life, it’s meant to nod to her own vivacious spirit (and love of ballroom dancing), which the filmmaker refers to throughout the film’s official press notes.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
22 Jan. 2026
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When ranking Providence as the 10th most underrated food city in America, Chowhound named the raw bar and restaurant Gift Horse as proof of the city's substantial, vivacious, and critically acclaimed food scene.—
Rin Velasco,
The Providence Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The functional elements of the fabric are revealed in blooms and blushes, bleeding hues in effervescent streaks.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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The custodian of the maison’s some 20,000 documents, fragments, and objects is the effervescent Sophie Rouart, who indulged me in pulling any style of my choosing.—
Stephanie Sporn,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The black expanse of thin, dense and relatively young basalt from those centers stands in stark contrast to thicker, more buoyant continental crust, which is primarily granite but contains the full gamut of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks and can be billions of years old.—
Evan Howell,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
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There are weak patches, but the four actors (Wilde, MVP Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) keep it buoyant, with a crackling energy that makes the endless streams of overlapping talk play like jazz.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frolicsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frolicsome. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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