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Trace Whimsical Back to the 16th Century
Even the origin of whimsical is whimsical: its ultimate source (by way of the noun whimsy) is the now-obscure whim-wham, a noun from the early 16th century that first referred to an ornamental object or trinket, and later to an eccentric impulse or interest—that is, to what in modern terms can be called a whim. The origin of whim-wham isn’t clear, but it’s among a class of words known as reduplications, words that are formed by repeating a word, as in go-go, or by adding to a word one that sounds very similar to it, as in dillydally. (In the case of whim-wham, the original duplicated term has been lost to time.) While whimsical first described those who tend toward whimsy, it now commonly describes things that are unusual in a playful or amusing way, as in “charmed by the book’s whimsical illustrations.”
Examples of whimsical in a Sentence
Janice Wald Henderson, Chocolatier, March 2001
Unlike the broad slapstick humor of Musical Mose and other early Herriman strips, Krazy Kat was gentle, fey, and whimsical.
—Jeet Heer, Lingua Franca, September 2001
In the whimsical linguistics of theoretical physics, the "naked" electron is an imaginary object cut off from the influences of the field, whereas a "dressed" electron carries the imprint of the universe, but it is all buried in extremely tiny modifications to its bare properties.
—Leon Lederman et al., The God Particle, 1993
She has a whimsical sense of humor.
it's hard to make plans with such a whimsical best friend
Juliet Izon, Architectural Digest, 24 Sep. 2024
For those willing to go along with Arnold’s whimsical flourishes of magical realism, Bird is a rewarding watch, an earnest film that argues for the necessity of an untamed spirit in the routine of everyday life.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024
Perhaps there’s also a whimsical peel of orange thrown in.
—Rob Ledonne, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2024
This ethos is evident in the chair's precise angles, designed for optimal comfort, and its whimsical armrests that add a touch of postmodern flair.
—Paul Jebara, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whimsical 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whimsical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Whimsical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whimsical. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
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whimsical
adjective
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