frivolous

WOTD – 11 April 2010    

English

Etymology

From Latin frīvolus (“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈfɹɪv.əl.əs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

frivolous (comparative more frivolous, superlative most frivolous)

1. Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner.
   • 1996 August 31, Paul F. Waldner, President-Elect, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, “citation Viewpoints”, Houston Chronicle:

     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.

   • Factcheck.org^[1]:

     One of the major cost drivers in the delivery of health care are these junk and frivolous lawsuits.

2. Of little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight.

Derived terms

• frivolent
• frivolously
• frivolousness

Related terms

• frivol
• frivolity

Translations

silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner

• Armenian: թեթևամիտ (hy) (t’et’evamit)
• Catalan: frívol (ca)
• Dutch: frivool (nl), lichtzinnig (nl), wuft (nl), onbezonnen (nl)
• Esperanto: vanta (eo)
• Finnish: naurettava (fi), typerä (fi), idioottimainen (fi), kevytmielinen (fi)
• French: frivole (fr)
• German: frivol (de)
• Greek: επιπόλαιος (el) (epipόleos)

• Italian: frivolo (it)
• Maori: ngahangaha (mi)
• Norwegian: frivol (no)
• Polish: bezmyślny (pl) m
• Portuguese: frívolo (pt) m
• Russian: несерьезный (ru) (neserʹjeznyj), легкомысленный (ru) (legkomyslennyj); ветреный (ru) (vetrenyj); поверхностный (ru) (poverxnostnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: faoin (gd)
• Spanish: frívolo (es)
• Swedish: frivol (sv)
• Turkish: hafifmeşrep (tr), hoppa (tr), havaî (tr)

of little weight or importance; not worth notice

• Armenian: չնչին (hy) (čnčin), դատարկ (hy) (datark)
• Catalan: frívol (ca), tonto (ca), trivial (ca)
• Finnish: mitätön (fi), jonninjoutava (fi)
• French: bagatelle (fr), bricole (fr)

• Polish: frywolny (pl) m
• Russian: незначительный (ru) (neznačitelʹnyj), неважный (ru) (nevažnyj), пустяковый (ru) (pustjakovyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: faoin (gd)
• Spanish: tonteria (es), menudencia (es), grano de anís (es), moco de pavo (es)
• Turkish: boş (tr), önemsiz (tr)

External links

• frivolous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• frivolous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911