Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Frivolity |
FrivolityNoun1. The trait of being frivolous; not serious or sensible. 2. Something of little value or significance. 3. Acting like a clown or buffoon. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "frivolity" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1615. (references) |
Etymology: Frivolity \Fri*vol"i*ty\, noun; plural Frivolities. [Cg. French frivolit['e]. See Frivolous.]. (references) |
Synonyms: FrivolitySynonyms: bagatelle (n), buffoonery (n), clowning (n), fluff (n), frippery (n), frivolousness (n), harlequinade (n), prank (n). (additional references) |
| Antonym: seriousness (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Imbecility Folly | Folly, frivolity, irrationality, trifling, nugacity, inconsistency, lip wisdom, conceit; sophistry; giddiness; (inattention); eccentricity; extravagance; (absurdity); rashness. |
Unimportance | Triviality, levity, frivolity; paltriness; Adjective:; poverty; smallness; vanity; (uselessness); matter of indifference; no object. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Frivolity |
| English words defined with "frivolity": airheaded ♦ dizzy ♦ empty-headed ♦ featherbrained, Fragonard, Frivolism, Frivolities ♦ giddy ♦ Jean Honore Fragonard ♦ light-headed ♦ silly. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "frivolity": Clarionet ♦ Ribbon. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "frivolity": Frivolism. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Frivolity" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Frivolity" is used about 54 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 54 | 46,184 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
frivolity | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "frivolity"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | sjellje mendjelehtë, mendjelehtësi (airiness, giddiness, levity, lightness), kotësi (futility, otioseness, otiosity, vainglory, vanity, wantonness). (various references) | |
Arabic | عمل تافه, عبث (dalliance, fiddlestick, flightiness, flirtation, futility, loiter, mess up, moonshine, mosey, palter, piddle, piffling, pointless, potter, shallowness, toy, trifle, twiddle), طيش (foolishness, impetuosity, imprudence, indiscretion, inexpediency, levity, libertinism, light-heartedness, lightness, prank, puerility, rashness, recklessness, temerity, thoughtlessness, unwisdom), شىء تافه (bagatelle, bauble, bosh, damn, duffer, dust, fluff, froth, gewgaw, hog, joke, piffling, small beer, tripe, triviality). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | лекомислена постъпка, лекомислие (giddiness, levity, lightness, superficiality). (various references) | |
Chinese | 轻佻 (Frivolities, frivolous). (various references) | |
Czech | frivolní poznámka, povrchnost (superficiality), lehkomyslnost (airiness, levity). (various references) | |
Dutch | frivoliteit (silliness). (various references) | |
Esperanto | frivolo, vantaĵo (silliness). (various references) | |
Faeroese | slettutur, hástórur. (various references) | |
Finnish | kevytmielisyys (wantonness). (various references) | |
French | frivolité. (various references) | |
German | frivolität (flippancy, irresponsibility, risque remark, suggestiveness). (various references) | |
Greek | κουφότησ (inanity), κουφότητα (inanity), επιπολαιότητα (cursoriness, flippancy, shallowness, superficiality, superficialness), ελαφρότησ (flimsiness, flippancy, levity, resilience, slightness, volatileness, weakmindedness), ελαφρότητα (airiness, flimsiness, flippancy, levity, lightness, resilience, slightness, volatileness, weakmindedness). (various references) | |
Hebrew | קלות ראש (levity, lightmindedness, recklessness). (various references) | |
Hungarian | semmitmondó volta vminek, komolytalanság (flippancy, levity, trifling), jelentéktelen volta vminek (impertinence), haszontalan volta vminek (impertinence), frivolság, felületesség (dereliction, desultoriness, flightiness, smattering, superficiality, trifling). (various references) | |
Italian | frivolezza (frivolousness, froth, levity, triviality). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 移り気 (capriciousness, fickleness, inconstant, whim), 浮華 (empty show, levity), 佻 . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | うつりぎ (capriciousness, fickleness, inconstant, whim), ふか (addition, annexation, appendage, bad, burden, empty show, hatching, imposition, improper, inadvisable, incubation, levity, levy, load, shark, suburban districts, unjustifiable, wealthy family, within an urban-prefecture, wrong), ちょう (billion, block, bowels, butterfly, cake, condoling with, government office, guts, hyper-, indication, intestines, leaf, mourning, omen, pitch, portent, sign, super-, tempo, time, tone, trillion, ultra-). (various references) | |
Manx | frittys (frippery), fardailys (folly, futility, insignificance, triviality). (various references) | |
Norwegian | fjollethet, lettsindighet. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ivolityfray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | futilidade (banality, futility, gewgaw, idleness, moonshine, trifle, trifling), frivolidade (falderal, fribble, futility, giddiness, idleness, levity, light-headedness, lightness, non-essential, trifle, trifling), fútil (conceited, coxcombical, feckless, frivolous, frothy, futile, nugatory, peddling, piddling, silliness, slight, trifling, vain), semsentido (silliness), coisavã (silliness). (various references) | |
Romanian | frivolitate (flightiness, flippancy, frailty, frivolousness, giddiness, levity, thoughtlessness, wantonness), uşurinţã (carelessness, ease, easiness, facility, flimsiness, glibness, levity, light-mindedness, rashness, readiness, recklessness, wantonness), neseriozitate (flippancy). (various references) | |
Russian | легкомыслие (flippancy, giddiness, levity, light-mindedness, lightness). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | lakomislenost (flippancy, improvidence, levity, light-head). (various references) | |
Spanish | frivolidad (dalliance, idleness, levity, skittishness, triviality). (various references) | |
Swedish | flärd (vanity). (various references) | |
Turkish | hoppalık (airiness, escapade, flightiness, giddiness, hoity toity, levity, looseness, perkiness), havailik (airiness, flippancy, volatility), ciddiyetsizlik (levity), anlamsızlık (absurdity, absurdness, barrenness, fatuity, inanity, incoherence, ineptitude, ineptness, inexpressiveness, insignificance, insignificancy, nonsensicalness, nothingness, ridiculousness, unreason, vacuity). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | фривольність (fribble), легковажність (airiness, carelessness, giddiness, hoity toity, levity, lightness, puerility). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | tính phù phiếm (frivolness, futility), tính nhẹ dạ (credulity, credulousness, frivolness, levity, lightness), tính bông lông việc tầm ph o (frivolness), sự phù phiếm (frivolness), sự nhẹ dạ (frivolness), sự bông lông (frivolness). (various references) | |
Welsh | gwamalrwydd (levity). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"Frivolity" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: fivolity, friviolity, frivolty. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "frivolity" (pronounced fruvÄ"lutē) |
| 5 | -Ä" l u t ē | equality, inequality, polity, quality. |
| 4 | -l u t ē | acceptability, accessibility, ability, abnormality, accountability, actuality, adaptability, admissibility, advisability, affordability, agility, amiability, applicability, availability, banality, believability, bestiality, bisexuality, brutality, capability, causality, centrality, civility, collegiality, commonality, comparability, compatibility, comprehensibility, conditionality, confidentiality, congeniality, constitutionality, convertibility, credibility, credulity, criminality, criticality, culpability, cyclicality, debility, deductibility, deniability, dependability, desirability, dimensionality, disability, irresponsibility, irritability, legality, docility, duality, ductility, durability, electability, eligibility, enforceability, eventuality, extraterritoriality, facility, fallibility, fatality, feasibility, fertility, fidelity, finality, flammability, flexibility, formality, fragility, frugality, functionality, futility, generality, geniality, gentility, gullibility, heterosexuality, homosexuality, hospitality, hostility, humility, illegality, immobility, immorality, immortality, impartiality, impersonality, impossibility, inability, inaccessibility, incivility, incompatibility, incredulity, indestructibility, individuality, inevitability, infallibility, infertility, infidelity, inflexibility, informality, instability, instrumentality, invincibility, invisibility, invulnerability, irrationality, legibility, lethality, liability, liberality, locality, malleability, maneuverability, marketability, materiality, mentality, miscibility, mobility, modality, morality, mortality, motility, municipality, musicality, mutuality, nationality, neutrality, nobility, nonutility, normality, originality, palatability, partiality, permeability, personality, plausibility, plurality, portability, possibility, practicality, predictability, principality, probability, profitability, proportionality, punctuality, rationality, readability, reality, reliability, respectability, responsibility, seasonality, senility, sensibility, sensuality, sentimentality, sexuality, speciality, spirituality, stability, sterility, suitability, survivability, susceptibility, sustainability, technicality, theatricality, tonality, totality, tranquility, transferability, triviality, unavailability, universality, unpredictability, unreality, unreliability, utility, variability, venality, versatility, viability, virility, visibility, vitality, volatility, vulnerability. |
| 3 | -u t ē | absurdity, acidity, activity, acuity, adversity, affinity, aggressivity, alacrity, alkalinity, ambiguity, amenity, amity, analyticity, animosity, annuity, anonymity, antiquity, anxiety, atrocity, audacity, austerity, authenticity, authority, barbarity, biodiversity, brevity, calamity, capacity, captivity, cavity, celebrity, charity, chastity, clarity, commodity, community, complexity, complicity, conductivity, conformity, congruity, connectivity, continuity, creativity, crotchety, curiosity, deformity, deity, density, depravity, deputy, dexterity, dignity, discontinuity, laity, laxity, disparity, dissimilarity, disunity, diversity, divinity, domesticity, duplicity, eccentricity, elasticity, electricity, enmity, enormity, entity, equanimity, equity, eternity, ethnicity, exclusivity, expressivity, extremity, falsity, familiarity, Felicity, femininity, ferocity, festivity, fluidity, fraternity, generosity, gratuity, gravity, heredity, heterogeneity, hilarity, homogeneity, humanity, humidity, hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, identity, illiquidity, immaturity, immunity, impropriety, impunity, impurity, inactivity, incapacity, incongruity, indemnity, indignity, inequity, inferiority, infinity, infirmity, ingenuity, inhumanity, insanity, insecurity, insensitivity, insularity, integrity, intensity, irregularity, levity, liquidity, lividity, longevity, majority, masculinity, maternity, maturity, mediocrity, mendacity, minority, modernity, monstrosity, morbidity, multiplicity, nativity, necessity, negativity, Nonconformity, nonentity, notoriety, nudity, obesity, objectivity, obscenity, obscurity, oddity, opacity, opportunity, overcapacity, oversensitivity, parity, particularity, passivity, paternity, paucity, peculiarity, perpetuity, perplexity, perversity, piety, polarity, pomposity, popularity, posterity, priority, probity, proclivity, productivity, profanity, progressivity, promiscuity, propensity, propriety, prosperity, proximity, publicity, purity, quantity, radioactivity, rapidity, rarity, reactivity, receptivity, reciprocity, reflexivity, regularity, relativity, religiosity, retroactivity, rickety, rigidity, salinity, sanctity, sanity, scarcity, security, selectivity, seniority, sensitivity, serendipity, serenity, severity, similarity, simplicity, sincerity, sobriety, society, solemnity, solidarity, solidity, sorority, specificity, spontaneity, stupidity, subjectivity, superconductivity, superfluidity, superiority, supermajority, surety, temerity, tenacity, timidity, toxicity, Trinity, turbidity, ubiquity, unanimity, unfamiliarity, uniformity, unity, university, unpopularity, uppity, validity, vanity, variety, varsity, velocity, velvety, veracity, Verity, vicinity, virginity, virtuosity, viscosity, voracity, vulgarity. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "f-i-i-l-o-r-t-v-y" | |
-2 letters: vitrify, vitriol. | |
-3 letters: flirty, frivol, vilify. | |
-4 letters: fitly, flirt, forty, ivory, lirot, lofty, roily, torii, triol, volti. | |
-5 letters: filo, flit, foil, fort, frit, lift, liri, loft, lory, loti, oily, rift, riot, roil, rolf, roti, rotl, ryot, tirl, tiro, tivy, toil, tori, tory, trio, troy, tyro, viol, virl, volt. | |
| Words containing the letters "f-i-i-l-o-r-t-v-y" | |
+4 letters: informatively. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Usage Frequency 6. Expressions: Internet 7. Translations: Modern 8. Derivations | 9. Rhymes 10. Anagrams 11. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
