as in notion
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whim
Andrew Kelly | Reuters The stock market bounce last week showed once again just how dependent Wall Street has become on the whims of the White House.
—
Kevin Stankiewicz,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2025
However, with two trading sessions left, including today, the index was tracking lower for the month on the whims of Washington.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025
Instead of relying on the commercial whims of foreign markets, Carey reasoned that tariffs would direct domestic agriculture to feed industrial workers and supply factories with raw materials.
— Made By History, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
The novel follows Fred Scully (Pitt), who after traveling through Europe for two years, wind up in Ireland with his wife and daughter, and on a mystical whim of Jennifer’s, buy an old farmhouse which stands in the shadow of a castle.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
Kevin Stankiewicz,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2025
However, with two trading sessions left, including today, the index was tracking lower for the month on the whims of Washington.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025
Instead of relying on the commercial whims of foreign markets, Carey reasoned that tariffs would direct domestic agriculture to feed industrial workers and supply factories with raw materials.
— Made By History, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
The novel follows Fred Scully (Pitt), who after traveling through Europe for two years, wind up in Ireland with his wife and daughter, and on a mystical whim of Jennifer’s, buy an old farmhouse which stands in the shadow of a castle.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whim
Noun
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After Damir donates his sperm for Sara’s solo parenting journey, the two best friends travel from Sweden to his family’s wedding in Croatia, where the strain on their secret arrangement challenges their friendship and forces them to reassess their own notions on family.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
12 May 2025
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The notion that the island prison is truly escape-proof is a key part of President Donald Trump’s proposal to reopen it more than 60 years after the Bureau of Prisons closed it for being too expensive to operate.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
11 May 2025
Noun
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Fear of political caprice masquerading as strategy, of a trade war metastasizing into financial contagion, and of a world where traditional safe havens—currencies, institutions, alliances—no longer offer much safety at all.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
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Richard Avedon’s accompanying portrait discards any notion of Cat Power’s caprice; there’s no bewilderment or confusion on display, no underlying contradictions.—
Carrie Brownstein,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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However, the 2025 study found that people with higher emotional intelligence struggled significantly less with these thoughts than others.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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Want to stay up to date on IndieWire’s film reviews and critical thoughts?—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Vape shops have spread across the American retail landscape with a bizarre swiftness, seemingly unbeholden to the same vagaries of inflation, customer demand, and local real estate that bind every other kind of storefront small business in the country.—
Amanda Mull,
The Atlantic,
22 June 2023
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Third, repeaters should prove capable of swapping this data between nodes in a network in a predictable way and not one too subject to the vagaries of chance.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
13 June 2023
Noun
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One of this year’s most unique and original K-dramas is Heavenly Ever After, a quirky romantic fantasy from Studio Phoenix and SLL that vividly imagines life after death.—
Regina Kim,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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Wolfgang Petersen's poignant take on The NeverEnding Story might slightly lack the depth and sophistication of its source material — Michael Ende's expansive fantasy novel — but the result is still enchanting escapism, with effects and tricks that hold up pretty well.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
EW.com,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Add some whimsy to your outdoors with a miniature village.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 May 2025
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Set-pieces that utilize original pop songs written by Bogart’s brother Evan Kidd Bogart and Justin Gray fail to inspire whimsy, imagination or awe-inducing delight.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
8 May 2025
Noun
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But there’s nothing wrong with a few flights of fancy every now and again.—
Herb Cromwell,
Baltimore Sun,
18 May 2025
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With that in mind, The Atlantic’s writers and editors have selected books to suit every mood or fancy.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whim. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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