whimsy

[ hwim-zee, wim- ]

noun

, plural whim·sies.

1. capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression:

   a play with lots of whimsy.

2. an odd or fanciful notion.

   Synonyms: humor, whim, caprice

3. anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy:

   a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.

whimsy

/ ˈwɪmzɪ /

noun

1. a capricious idea or notion
2. light or fanciful humour
3. something quaint or unusual

adjective

1. quaint, comical, or unusual, often in a tasteless way

Word History and Origins

Origin of whimsy¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; whim(-wham) + -sy

Word History and Origins

Origin of whimsy¹

C17: from whim ; compare flimsy

Example Sentences

As someone who has long suffered from insomnia and who feels energized when there are bits of whimsy in my day, I wondered: Has Nintendo just discovered a better way to wake up?

From Los Angeles Times

Tim Marlow, CEO of the Design Museum, said: “During his extraordinary career, Tim Burton has harnessed a compelling mixture of gothic horror and black comedy, of melancholy and enchantment, of oddball whimsy and visionary range in the creation of fantastical filmic worlds.”

From BBC

Crump’s style possessed a larger-than-life whimsy and circus-like loudness, and it caught the eye of Walt Disney, who plucked Crump from animation and one day assigned him what would become arguably the most recognizable clock in Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Los Angeles Public Library. The go-to tabernacle of literacy and lifesaving life hacks. A passport to wonder and whimsy and then some,” Bui says.

From Los Angeles Times

But they also say that the natural whimsy of a setting surrounded by young kids helps ground their series and keep it from being too depressing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• playfulness