as in notions
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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Recent Examples of whims
Poor Andy Sachs — in the form of the Disney princess-eyed Anne Hathaway — may have suffered the verbal lashings of a boss who expected whims to move worlds on her behalf.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
But a loving parent, Sarkis adds, doesn't acquiesce to all of their child's whims.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Similarly, at The Windsor by Heathrow in London, a private butler tends to your whims, and you are fast-tracked through immigration, customs and baggage handling.
—Beth Landman, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
The Fed traditionally steers clear of political whims when devising monetary policy in part to maintain credibility.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
The first pitch of a game wouldn’t fall in that category, but Suzuki deferred to his hitter’s whims.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Now is the time for Colorado leaders to push back on this bad decision and fight for a future where disaster declarations are considered on their merits and qualifications, not on the angry whims of one man.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
With input from food historian Pushpesh Pant, chef Vijay Sahi has designed three tasting menus that reimagine the culinary whims of the erstwhile royals from across India.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
But this exercise of state power depends on the whims of a single man.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
But a loving parent, Sarkis adds, doesn't acquiesce to all of their child's whims.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Similarly, at The Windsor by Heathrow in London, a private butler tends to your whims, and you are fast-tracked through immigration, customs and baggage handling.
—Beth Landman, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
The Fed traditionally steers clear of political whims when devising monetary policy in part to maintain credibility.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
The first pitch of a game wouldn’t fall in that category, but Suzuki deferred to his hitter’s whims.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Now is the time for Colorado leaders to push back on this bad decision and fight for a future where disaster declarations are considered on their merits and qualifications, not on the angry whims of one man.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
With input from food historian Pushpesh Pant, chef Vijay Sahi has designed three tasting menus that reimagine the culinary whims of the erstwhile royals from across India.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
But this exercise of state power depends on the whims of a single man.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whims
Noun
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And all sorts of people—technologists, writers, artists, politicians, investors, and businesspeople—now work to shape our notions about what’s to come.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
In it, Hayek cautioned against the growing intellectual and political notions that disregarded liberty in favor of central planning of economic affairs.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
One needed Mother Nature to bestow upon brewers the right temperatures for making beer, and in the days before refrigeration and even thermometers, that meant that brewing was largely dictated by the caprices of the seasons.—
Jay R. Brooks,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Today, every country’s economy is tied to others, but a small nation that’s as historically dependent on trade as Denmark seems particularly vulnerable to Trump’s caprices.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There were plenty of ordinary and dismissive explanations for what had happened, all related to the vagaries of the brain.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As a result, those close to him have felt that there have been some vagaries around his role within the team since his arrival.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The sophisticated set by ace production designer David Gropman enables Altman’s perpetually moving and zooming camera to drift in and out of two-way mirrors that depict memories and fantasies with both immediacy and a gauzy nostalgia.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
-
But what Danielson says was intended as a symbolic protest escalated dramatically amid paranoid fantasies, prosaic miscommunications, and the false report of a gun.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Stephanie also has a story on the whimsies created by chocolate artist Chris Ford at his West Hollywood pop-up shop.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
In The Girlfriend, the truth is malleable, open to change based on our biases, judgments, whimsies, and desires.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whims. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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