flimsier; flimsiest
1
a
: lacking in physical strength or substance
flimsy silks
wore a flimsy dress
b
: of inferior materials and workmanship
flimsy construction
2
: having little worth or plausibility
a flimsy excuse
a movie with a flimsy plot
plural flimsies
chiefly British
: a lightweight paper used especially for multiple copies
also
: a document printed on flimsy
Synonyms
Examples of flimsy in a Sentence
Adjective
a flimsy piece of material
They have only the flimsiest of evidence against him.
a movie with a flimsy plot
Recent Examples on the Web
Graham Kates, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024
Any excess from the flimsy header cables, such as from the HD Audio and front-panel button/LED combo, can tuck in that space.
—PCMAG, 21 Apr. 2024
Late 19th century homes were built with flimsier materials, and their deterioration seemed inevitable, since landlords didn’t replace or repair buildings for their Black tenants.
—Sarah Biegelsen, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
But among Republicans, the hardened support isn’t at risk of going flimsy.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
The flimsy pretext for the trip was Johnson’s role as a correspondent for publications including the Rev. Charles E. Coughlin’s infamously antisemitic magazine, Social Justice.
—Christopher Hawthorne, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Trust me, the last thing that anyone wants is to let uncomfortable athleisure hinder their enjoyment or have a flimsy tent spoil their camping trip.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2024
Onlookers peered through pairs of flimsy eclipse glasses, personal cameras or the variety of telescopes — big and small — available on Chabot’s viewing deck.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
The justification for this abrupt policy reversal is flimsy at best.
—Ed Brzytwa, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
Few party regulars care to talk about the flimsy to nonexistent ethics that guide their fundraising.
—Michael Sokolove, The New Republic, 14 Feb. 2022
The Reform’s build quality is an odd mix of flimsy and tank-like.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2022
All of their products, the flimsy and the more substantial, seemed to float by at various levels.
—Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2021
That’s a lot of money for a toaster, and especially a toaster that looks this flimsy.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 June 2021
Defense lawyers have criticized evidence against the father and son as flimsy and based on hearsay and speculation.
—Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, 23 Apr. 2021
Before anyone had a chance to digest the flimsy-at-best basis for many of the pardons, Trump unexpectedly made another announcement.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2020
Adjective
Defense attorneys are expected to argue Trump has been charged on flimsy evidence from an untrustworthy key witness.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024
Any excess from the flimsy header cables, such as from the HD Audio and front-panel button/LED combo, can tuck in that space.
—PCMAG, 21 Apr. 2024
Late 19th century homes were built with flimsier materials, and their deterioration seemed inevitable, since landlords didn’t replace or repair buildings for their Black tenants.
—Sarah Biegelsen, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
But among Republicans, the hardened support isn’t at risk of going flimsy.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
The flimsy pretext for the trip was Johnson’s role as a correspondent for publications including the Rev. Charles E. Coughlin’s infamously antisemitic magazine, Social Justice.
—Christopher Hawthorne, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Trust me, the last thing that anyone wants is to let uncomfortable athleisure hinder their enjoyment or have a flimsy tent spoil their camping trip.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2024
Onlookers peered through pairs of flimsy eclipse glasses, personal cameras or the variety of telescopes — big and small — available on Chabot’s viewing deck.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
The justification for this abrupt policy reversal is flimsy at best.
—Ed Brzytwa, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Noun
Over the course of the story, John’s mother, Lucille, condemns him over flimsy-at-best evidence, and John’s father, Dan, physically beats him while arguing over the truthfulness of the Bible.
—Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
Few party regulars care to talk about the flimsy to nonexistent ethics that guide their fundraising.
—Michael Sokolove, The New Republic, 14 Feb. 2022
The Reform’s build quality is an odd mix of flimsy and tank-like.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2022
All of their products, the flimsy and the more substantial, seemed to float by at various levels.
—Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2021
That’s a lot of money for a toaster, and especially a toaster that looks this flimsy.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 June 2021
Defense lawyers have criticized evidence against the father and son as flimsy and based on hearsay and speculation.
—Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, 23 Apr. 2021
Before anyone had a chance to digest the flimsy-at-best basis for many of the pardons, Trump unexpectedly made another announcement.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flimsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flimsy
Cite this Entry
“Flimsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flimsy. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
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