Meanings
comparative more frivolous · superlative most frivolous
- Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner; lacking a good reason for being, or for doing what one does; due to or moved by a caprice or whim.
trifling ((literary)
- Of little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight; trivial.
Synonyms: base, contemptible, floccinaucinihilipilificatious, foolish, for the birds, futile, idle, ignorable
- lawHaving no reasonable prospect of success because its claim is without merit, lacking a supporting legal or factual basis, while the filing party is, or should be, aware of this.
One of the major cost drivers in the delivery of health care are these junk and frivolous lawsuits.
2005, Factcheck.org1 more example
There is no easy definition for the phrase 'frivolous lawsuit,' but I imagine any claim for damages where the injuries are minimal or where the basis for the defendant's liability is hard to believe, might qualify as frivolous.
1996 August 31, Paul F. Waldner, President-Elect, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, “Viewpoints”, in Houston Chronicle, archived from the original on 16 Apr 2005
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight; trivial.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivenot serious in content or attitude or behavior
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinfrīvolus“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”
- Englishfrivolous
From Latin frīvolus (“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”), with the ending modified to match -ous.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans ligsinnig
- ligsinnigsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Ancient Greek ῥᾴθυμος
- ῥᾴθυμος (rhāíthumos)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Bulgarian лекомислен, несериозен
- лекомислен (lekomislen)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- несериозен (neseriozen)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- повърхностен (povărhnosten)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Catalan frívol, frívol
- frívolsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- frívolof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- tontoof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- trivialof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Chinese Mandarin 輕狂 /轻狂
- 輕狂 /轻狂 (qīngkuáng)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Dutch frivool, lichtzinnig
- frivoolsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- lichtzinnigsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- wuftsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Esperanto vanta, facilanima
- vantasilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- facilanimasilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Finnish naurettava, typerä
- naurettavasilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- typeräsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- idioottimainensilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- kevytmielinensilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- hölmösilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- mitätönof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- jonninjoutavaof little weight or importance; not worth notice
French frivole, bagatelle
- frivolesilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- bagatelleof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- bricoleof little weight or importance; not worth notice
German albern, leichtfertig
- albernsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- leichtfertigsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- flatterhaftsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Greek επιπόλαιος, ελαφρός
- επιπόλαιος (epipólaios)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- ελαφρός (elafrós)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- ελαφρός (elafrós)of little weight or importance; not worth notice
Italian frivolo
- frivolosilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Latin frīvolus, frīvolus
- frīvolussilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- frīvolusof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Latvian vieglprātīgs, viegls
- vieglprātīgssilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- vieglssilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Malay semberono, sambil lewa
- semberonosilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- sambil lewasilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- remeh-temehof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Māori ngahangaha, ngākau pāpaku
- ngahangahasilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- ngākau pāpakusilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- hangahangaof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- ngākau pāpakuof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- awekeof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- ngahangahaof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- tihitihiof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- hauareaof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Norwegian Bokmål frivol
- frivolsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Polish bezmyślny, błahy
- bezmyślnysilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- błahyof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Portuguese frívolo, frívolo
- frívolosilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- frívoloof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Russian несерьезный, легкомысленный
- несерьезный (neserʹjeznyj)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- легкомысленный (lexkomyslennyj)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- ветреный (vetrenyj)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- пове́рхностный (povérxnostnyj)silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- незначи́тельный (neznačítelʹnyj)of little weight or importance; not worth notice
- нева́жный (nevážnyj)of little weight or importance; not worth notice
- пустяковый (pustjakovyj)of little weight or importance; not worth notice
Scottish Gaelic faoin, faoin
- faoinsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- faoinof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Spanish frívolo, frívolo
- frívolosilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- frívoloof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- banalof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- nimioof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- trivialof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Swedish frivol
- frivolsilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
Turkish hoppa, salak
- hoppasilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- salaksilly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
- boşof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- önemsizof little weight or importance; not worth notice
- havaiof little weight or importance; not worth notice
Cite this entry
frivolous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frivolous
“frivolous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frivolous. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “frivolous,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frivolous.
Source: frivolous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.