mimsy

/ ˈmɪmzɪ /

adjective

1. prim, underwhelming, and ineffectual

Word History and Origins

Origin of mimsy¹

C19: a blend of miserable and flimsy , coined by Lewis Carroll

Example Sentences

Mimsy Barber, posting on Spotted: Kirk Hallam Facebook page, said: "Is it Download you can hear around Kirk Hallam this evening, or is it someone living out their rock and roll dreams on the back garden?"

From BBC

“You can’t do it by being mimsy.”

From New York Times

Moore and Henry Kuttner’s classic science fiction story, “Mimsy Were the Borogoves,” in which Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem “Jabberwocky” opens a portal to other times and dimensions.

From Washington Post

The story goes that this has turned us all into eternal babies, coddling us, protecting us from “micro aggressions” and signalling an erosion of individual grit and autonomy in favour of mimsy whining.

From The Guardian

Chance writes largely from the points of view of the family’s happy dogs — two corgis named Dookie and Lady Jane, three Labradors named Mimsy, Stiffy and Scrummy, a Tibetan lion dog named Choo-choo, a golden retriever named Judy and a cocker spaniel named Ben — pausing only to praise the owners for being “not merely people who love dogs but warmhearted, human people who, understanding their animals, are therefore understood by them in return.”

From New York Times

More About Mimsy

What does mimsy mean?

Mimsy describes someone or something that is prim, underwhelming, or unimportant, as in Everyone expected the play would be unrestrained and exciting, but it was really just mimsy.

Mimsy was coined by author Lewis Carrol for his children’s novel Through the Looking-Glass. It appears in the poem “Jabberwocky,” which is part of the novel. In the poem, the borograves (also a made-up term) are described as being mimsy.

Mimsy is mostly used in the way Carrol intended, often in a playful rather than serious way.

Example: Mikahil was unhappy with their contribution to the event because it was ultimately mimsy and unhelpful.

Where does mimsy come from?

The first records of the term mimsy come from around 1855. Coined by English writer Lewis Carroll, it is said to blend miserable and flimsy.

“Jabberwocky” is also the source of the other made-up words, including chortle, galumph, and frumious. Carroll’s words are often used casually or playfully. The line from “Jabberwocky,” “mimsy were the borogoves” is often quoted as an allusion to Carroll’s work and is the title of a 1940s science fiction short story that was adapted into the 2007 science fiction movie The Last Mimzy.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to mimsy?

• mimsier (adjective)
• mimsiest (adjective)

What are some words that share a root or word element with mimsy? 

• miserable
• flimsy

What are some words that often get used in discussing mimsy?

• Jabberwocky
• nonsense
• nonce

How is mimsy used in real life?

Mimsy is most often used in reference to Lewis Carroll, though it is sometimes used to describe something that is miserable and flimsy.

'Twas brillig, & the slithy toves/Did gyre & gimble in the wabe:/All mimsy were the borogroves,/And the mome raths outgrabe. Lewis Carroll 👍

— Carrie Fisher (@carrieffisher) May 27, 2015

Can we say "died" instead of the mimsy, "passed away"? Dying, however sadly, is what we mortals do.

— anne mcelvoy (@annemcelvoy) January 16, 2018

Pinterest needs an “I hate this. Get this mimsy crap out of my feed” button

— 🍞🍞Tim Hayward🍞🍞 (@timhayward) September 17, 2015

 

Try using mimsy!

Is mimsy used correctly in the following sentence?

After getting an A on the essay, I’m feeling mimsy.