We explain what something frivolous is, the origin of the term and how it is used. In addition, various examples and meanings.
What is something or someone frivolous?
By the word frivolous is meant, in general, something that is unimportant or shallow, something that is vain, superficial, transient, and therefore not worth much consideration or much effort.
It's about a adjective which is normally used to characterize topics, discussions or debates (“frivolous considerations” are ideas that are not very relevant or worth taking into account), but also people (a “frivolous person” is someone who dedicates their attention or effort to matters irrelevant, or inconsequential).
The word frivolous comes from the Latin frivolous, derived from the verb I will fry, “to break into pieces”. Originally, it was used to refer to utensils or containers (for example, ceramic or clay pots) that due to their poor workmanship were brittle, unreliable or not very resistant.
Subsequently, it gained a metaphorical meaning that ended up being the predominant one, and that translates into "light", "vain" or "futile", that is, of little weight, of little importance.
Some examples of sentences with this adjective can be the following:
- “That conference we went to was pretty frivolous for me in the end.”
- "You shouldn't waste so much time on such frivolities."
- "I broke up with Hernán, I couldn't stand being with someone so frivolous."
- "I think the national press has become very flippant lately."
- "I love show business and all those frivolities."
They are synonymous with frivolous: inconsequential, trivialbanal, light, irrelevant. Instead, they are antonyms: serious, transcendent, important, profound.
Other uses of the word
In certain contexts, the word frivolous can have somewhat different meanings. For example, when it is said about a publication, a show, a dance or a song, this adjective functions as a synonym for "light" and "sensual", that is, it has to do with matters of the body, of the senses. and sensuality or eroticism.