whimsey

UK: /^hwɪmzi/ US: (hwim′zē, wim′-)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

whim•sey  (hwim′zē, wim′-), n., pl. -seys. 

1. whimsy.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

whim•sy or -sey /ˈhwɪmzi, ˈwɪm-/   n., pl. -sies or -seys. 

1. [uncountable] playful or fanciful humor.
2. [countable] an odd or fanciful notion or idea.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

whim•sy  (hwim′zē, wim′-), n., pl. -sies. 

1. capricious humor or disposition;
   extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression:
   a play with lots of whimsy.
2. an odd or fanciful notion.
3. anything odd or fanciful;
   a product of playful or capricious fancy:
   a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.

Also, whimsey. 

• whim(-wham) + -sy 1595–1605

Synonyms

• 2. . caprice, whim, humor.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

whimsy, whimsey / ˈwɪmzɪ/ noun ( -sies, -seys)

1. a capricious idea or notion
2. light or fanciful humour
3. something quaint or unusual

adjective ( -sier, -siest)

1. quaint, comical, or unusual, often in a tasteless way

Etymology: 17th Century: from whim; compare flimsy