adjective

• 1Not having any serious purpose or value.

  ‘frivolous ribbons and lacy frills’

  More example sentences

  • ‘rules to stop frivolous lawsuits’
  • ‘Don't judges have the power to throw out frivolous lawsuits and even fine the lawyers and the litigants?’
  • ‘Then, if the lawsuit is frivolous, why should it produce grave consequences for Germany?’
  • ‘Drug companies claim the union and consumer plan would encourage frivolous lawsuits.’
  • ‘That's why it's important to pass a law that would protect the industry from frivolous lawsuits.’
  • ‘I find it insulting that our elected councillors are prepared to waste both their time and ours on such frivolous and pointless schemes.’
  • ‘Indeed to those who think only such things as making money or providing material goods are serious, it may seem frivolous.’
  • ‘I think acting is still looked down upon as a frivolous activity and not a real job or a serious profession.’
  • ‘They provide a frivolous distraction for a government that should be implementing a serious energy policy.’
  • ‘Everything that she made a mental note of seemed unimportant and frivolous.’
  • ‘Its claims are not frivolous or vexatious and definitely present a serious case to be tried.’
  • ‘While the two senior residents certainly met the needs requirement, the case was deemed frivolous and turned down.’
  • ‘We are dumbfounded by frivolous concerns about violence preventing such an effort to succeed.’
  • ‘But I don't think they could change it on a whim or for any frivolous reason.’
  • ‘That, of course, would add to the cost, and city council is rarely in the mood to spend money on something so frivolous as the past.’
  • ‘In fact, even today, I doubt my parents would spend money on items they would consider frivolous and useless.’
  • ‘This frivolous attitude towards love reflects an immature response to abrupt freedom and independence.’
  • ‘The defendants delayed the trial for years with dozens of frivolous appeals.’
  • ‘When I do have money, I tend to spend it on frivolous things for myself and presents for my friends.’
  • ‘The outpouring of compassion for the daily deaths of thousands is suddenly treated as a frivolous distraction.’
  • ‘Let's not pull it apart by making extra work for administrators or managers with frivolous complaints.’

  Synonyms

  flippant, glib, waggish, joking, jokey, light-hearted, facetious, fatuous, inane, shallow, superficial, senseless, thoughtless, ill-considered, non-serious

  impractical, frothy, flimsy, insubstantial

  time-wasting, trivial, trifling, minor, petty, lightweight, insignificant, unimportant, worthless, valueless, pointless, paltry, niggling, peripheral

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1(of a person) carefree and superficial.
     ‘the frivolous, fun-loving flappers of the twenties’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Sometimes we repress our good humour, because we are afraid that others will think we are frivolous or foolish.’
     • ‘She believed in him and she was not a frivolous person, so her opinion counted.’
     • ‘When philosophers take liberties with language to make their distinctive points they are not frivolous.’
     • ‘They say we do not support this bill because we are frivolous and because we are jealous.’
     • ‘There are those who scoff at the school boy, calling him frivolous and shallow.’
     • ‘I do resent a Government Minister telling me I got into debt because I was flighty, frivolous and decadent.’
     • ‘These facts are often used to depict Mary in a one-sided way as frivolous and irresponsible.’
     • ‘The more frivolous among them behave like teenagers on the rampage; the more serious take courses in improving subjects.’
     • ‘It seemed, as always, that I was either going to be utterly serious or completely frivolous.’
     • ‘She was as complex as she was caring, as frivolous as she was serious with a wicked sense of fun.’
     • ‘So they have made him arts spokesman in the hopes that he will appear serious rather than frivolous, amusing but not foolish.’
     • ‘Some are serious, and some are frivolous - but all are entertaining.’
     • ‘But this was Nero, and he would not be Nero without being frivolous.’
     Synonyms

     giddy, silly, foolish, facetious, zany, light-hearted, merry, superficial, shallow, lacking seriousness, non-serious, light-minded, whimsical, skittish, flighty, irresponsible, thoughtless, lacking in sense, feather-brained, empty-headed, pea-brained, birdbrained, vacuous, vapid

     View synonyms