Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The state or quality of being flippant; free or inconsiderate volubility; presumptuous or impertinent trifling in speech or conduct; disrespectful smartness in speaking or writing; pertness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The state or quality of being flippant.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A disrespectful levity or pertness especially in respect to grave or sacred matters.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun inappropriate levity

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word flippancy.

Examples

  • As Schwiebert once quietly complained to me, “a time in media when flippancy is substituted for genuine knowledge.”

    Uncategorized Blog Posts 2009

  • Part of it, if I may be excused a moment of flippancy, is that they are doing such a good job of making fools of themselves (and sometimes of Tolkien) that I see no reason to add my own meed of incapacity.

    The road less travelled by goes ever on superversive 2006

  • But behind his flippancy was a certain grim disquiet: who or what had incited this magic sword to slay him?

    The Source of Magic Anthony, Piers 1979

  • As soon as she was safely tucked up in the dog-cart, with no way of escape, Elisabeth saw a look in Alan's eyes which told her that he meant to make love to her; so with that old, old feminine instinct, which made the prehistoric woman take to her heels when the prehistoric man began to run after her, this daughter of the nineteenth century took refuge in an armour of flippancy, which is the best shield yet invented for resisting Cupid's darts.

    The Farringdons Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler 1894

  • Pennington's particular kind of flippancy was merely a result of his having been, in those far days before he was a remittance man, an Oxford graduate.

    I've Married Marjorie Margaret Widdemer 1931

  • England hath need of thee -- 'said Mrs. Belmaine with the degree of flippancy which is considered correct for immortal verse, the Bible, God, etc., in these days.

    The Hand of Ethelberta Thomas Hardy 1884

  • Amis has had to deal with a welter of criticism, including an accusation of "flippancy" from the American novelist

    The First Post: Latest 2010

  • So delicate, in fact, that treating it with this kind of flippancy is entirely inappropriate.

    Gizmodo 2010

  • England hath need of thee —’ said Mrs. Belmaine with the degree of flippancy which is considered correct for immortal verse, the Bible, God, etc., in these days.

    The Hand of Ethelberta 2006

  • That habit he got into of smashing the arguments of the heathen, gave him a kind of flippancy in talking of high matters. "

    The Mark Of Cain Andrew Lang 1878

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.