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
In fact, the right-wing media — which is closely tied to the whims of the White House — has been targeting Siebel Newsom for months.
—
Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Democrats have publicly criticized the event, saying the president is spending money on personal whims rather than on the problems Americans are actually facing.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 15 June 2026
For 30 years now, Of Montreal has functioned less as a band and more as a vehicle for exploring Kevin Barnes’ emotional whims.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 9 June 2026
This choice was born of a desire for narrative sovereignty, ensuring that our story would never be subject to the shifting whims of political administrations.
—Diana Rodriguez, Time, 8 June 2026
The show's writers subsequently did their best to accommodate the strange whims of action figure designers on the hunt for more and more playable designs.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 June 2026
Historical accuracy is important, current political whims are not.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 3 June 2026
No matter how much someone disagrees with recent decisions by the high court, threatening to subordinate judicial independence to the whims of a political party befits a banana republic.
—Washington Post Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
The trio are connected through the whims of fate, the bonds of blood, the power of art (Federico García Lorca looms large), the horrors of war, and, mostly, the magic of overediting.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Democrats have publicly criticized the event, saying the president is spending money on personal whims rather than on the problems Americans are actually facing.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 15 June 2026
For 30 years now, Of Montreal has functioned less as a band and more as a vehicle for exploring Kevin Barnes’ emotional whims.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 9 June 2026
This choice was born of a desire for narrative sovereignty, ensuring that our story would never be subject to the shifting whims of political administrations.
—Diana Rodriguez, Time, 8 June 2026
The show's writers subsequently did their best to accommodate the strange whims of action figure designers on the hunt for more and more playable designs.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 June 2026
Historical accuracy is important, current political whims are not.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 3 June 2026
No matter how much someone disagrees with recent decisions by the high court, threatening to subordinate judicial independence to the whims of a political party befits a banana republic.
—Washington Post Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
The trio are connected through the whims of fate, the bonds of blood, the power of art (Federico García Lorca looms large), the horrors of war, and, mostly, the magic of overediting.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whims
Noun
-
Steven was very generous in his consideration of the notions that occurred to me.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
-
But with what seems like a Ripper copycat on the loose, everyone needs to put aside their preconceived notions and figure out what’s going on.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 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
-
Buried not so deep in the bylaws and statutes that legally define FIFA, is a pledge that the organization will abstain from the vagaries of politics.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
-
That makes the policy initiative vulnerable to the vagaries of politics or local budgeting, critics say.—
Topher Sanders,
ProPublica,
2 June 2026
Noun
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These fantasies can all skew toward exclusionary extremism on the left and the right.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
3 June 2026
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In those pages, Fiedler dared to argue that many of America’s boyish and putatively innocent classics are in fact fantasies of interracial, homosexual romance.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 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 16 Jun. 2026.
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