whimsy
Other forms: whimsies; whimsiest
Whimsy is what a person who's a dreamer and out of step with the real world might have lots of. People who are full of whimsy are odd, but often fanciful and lovely, like Harry Potter's friend Luna Lovegood.
Whimsy is also a whim — something you do just because you want to. If you find a postcard of Alaska and take that as a reason to move there, that could qualify as whimsy. Whimsy is irrational, but playful. If you decorate your house with whimsy, you may have a wall decorated with butterflies and giant daisies with googly eyes, and a couch trimmed with peacock feathers and vinyl. It's amusing and witty, and you’re a master of whimsy.
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an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
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the trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgmentsynonyms: arbitrariness, capriciousness, flightiness, whimsey, whimsicalitytype of:irresponsibility, irresponsiblenessa form of untrustworthiness; the trait of lacking a sense of responsibility and not feeling accountable for your actions
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Vocabulary lists containing whimsy
An acclaimed science-fiction classic, Kindred tells the story of Dana, an African-American woman in 1970s California who time-travels to the American South before the Civil War.
Best friends Noah and Walt bond over their shared love of baseball and appreciation for jazz. With the help of some vintage love letters (and some intervention from Walt), Noah tries to express his true feelings for his long-time crush, Sam. But as Walt and Noah attempt to "find cool," division and prejudice within their community cause their lives to take an unexpected turn.
An examination of childhood belief and trust on the journey towards blossoming into faith, "All That" is at once simple and very rich. Best known for his long fiction, the late David Foster Wallace was also a master of the evocative brief sketch. Here are 25 words from this story originally published in The New Yorker. Read the full text here.