variants
also whimsey
as in humor
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
the pop singer's latest whimsy is that she has acting talent
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whimsy
Certain ideas — a sweater made of flyaway feathers, a gradient that molted into florals around the collar and dresses with untamed bows — hinted at a greater whimsy lying somewhere below the surface.
—
Jacob Gallagher, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
These dueling sensations are emphasized by Aleksander Makowski’s score, which veers between waltzing whimsy and haunting woodwinds, a keen cross-cultural blend.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
Don’t be afraid to add a bit of whimsy with makeup brushes of cool color, or a marbled look, with a matching holder.
—Bestreviews, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2025
Intricate metallic details amplify an air of romance, glamor, and whimsy.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whimsy
Jacob Gallagher, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
These dueling sensations are emphasized by Aleksander Makowski’s score, which veers between waltzing whimsy and haunting woodwinds, a keen cross-cultural blend.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
Don’t be afraid to add a bit of whimsy with makeup brushes of cool color, or a marbled look, with a matching holder.
—Bestreviews, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2025
Intricate metallic details amplify an air of romance, glamor, and whimsy.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whimsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whimsy
Noun
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Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2025
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Conan was the perfect host – skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Thomas’ favorite parts about leading tours are meeting different kinds of people and watching anyone with a negative or preconceived notion about certain parts of Chicago change their opinion over the course of a tour.—
Shanzeh Ahmad,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2025
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Companies will need to justify in-person work with meaningful collaboration, rather than rigid policies based on outdated notions of productivity.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The book is filled with similar anecdotes that capture the peculiar indignities of those catering to the whims of the most powerful people in the world.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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One more plank of the United States’ global influence goes dark at the president’s whim.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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My impression of bath mats, from years of owning ones that end up getting soggy on contact, was that there was little to nothing to do about mildew, puddles of water, and discoloration.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
27 Mar. 2025
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Caroline and Laina took first impressions to a whole new level, arriving in full lawyer attire.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Instead of obsessively trying to recreate the original, Lowery takes the bones of the first film — a classic boy and his dragon tale — and crafts something fresh, a charming environmentalist fantasy that’s both gentle and heartfelt.—
Staff Author,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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In 1958, a provincial party chairman weighed in on the term fantasy in a roundtable essay that was published in Sae sedae.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Vape shops have spread across the American retail landscape with a bizarre swiftness, seemingly unbeholden to the same vagaries of inflation, customer demand, and local real estate that bind every other kind of storefront small business in the country.—
Amanda Mull,
The Atlantic,
22 June 2023
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Third, repeaters should prove capable of swapping this data between nodes in a network in a predictable way and not one too subject to the vagaries of chance.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
13 June 2023
Noun
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An e-mail publication was invulnerable to the caprices of social-media platforms and their algorithms.—
Nathan Heller,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
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The whims and caprices of a volatile administration have given most of them a deep sense of insecurity.—
Marquis William Childs,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The mixology team is hard at work infusing, distilling, and dehydrating seasonal ingredients, including rare honey produced by stingless bees endemic to Costa Rica.—
Maya Kachroo-Levine,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Mar. 2025
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This 19-inch style packs a springtime punch with its dense collection of peach, yellow, and red tulips—more than 240 bright, plump blossoms which shoppers say neighbors (and even bees) mistake for real blooms.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whimsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whimsy. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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