Library / English Dictionary

WHIMSY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: whimsier    , whimsiest   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgment

Example:

I despair at the flightiness and whimsicality of my memory

Synonyms:

arbitrariness; capriciousness; flightiness; whimsey; whimsicality; whimsy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("whimsy" is a kind of...):

irresponsibility; irresponsibleness (a form of untrustworthiness; the trait of lacking a sense of responsibility and not feeling accountable for your actions)

Derivation:

whimsical (determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An odd or fanciful or capricious idea

Example:

whimsy can be humorous to someone with time to enjoy it

Synonyms:

notion; whim; whimsey; whimsy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("whimsy" is a kind of...):

idea; thought (the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about)

Derivation:

whimsical (determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason)

Credits