plaything

[ pley-thing ]

noun

1. a thing to play with; toy.
2. a person who is used capriciously and selfishly by another.

plaything

/ ˈpleɪˌθɪŋ /

noun

1. a toy
2. a person regarded or treated as a toy

   he thinks she is just his plaything

Word History and Origins

Origin of plaything¹

First recorded in 1665–75; play + thing ¹

Example Sentences

But for Ani, this reduces her to an object, a plaything for men to have fun with and abandon as soon as they’re finished.

From Salon

Musk’s conversion of Twitter from a publicly traded company to a personal plaything could kick up so much more bile than we saw in 2020, and 2020 sucked.

From Slate

“Looking back, I believe I was recruited purely as a potential sex partner or plaything for Al Fayed, hence the questions at the interview to establish if I was a virgin,” Margot says.

From BBC

“What I do feel, whoever plays any part ever, is that you have to take these things as seriously as you take your own life, and it is not a game, and that these people and their struggles and the experiences you’re trying to render are not a plaything,” Strong says.

From Los Angeles Times

Red Lobster became a plaything for financial engineers, a condition that almost never — if ever — leads to an improved consumer experience and greater profits in the long term.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bauble
• gadget
• pastime