frivolous

/ˈfrɪvələs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfrɪvələs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfri-və-ləs/ (ame, mw)

frivolous — 形容詞

  • frivolouspositive
  • more frivolouscomparative
  • most frivoloussuperlative

1. acting in a silly, light-hearted way and refusing to give attention to anything

1.形容詞B2
釋義

輕浮；不正經

舉止輕浮、不把重要事情當回事

acting in a silly, light-hearted way and refusing to give attention to anything important — for example, joking through a serious meeting or giggling during a memorial.

例句

Lakshmi is brilliant at her job, but outside the office she becomes wonderfully frivolous.

Lakshmi 在工作上非常出色，但下班後就變得輕浮可愛。

attributive after 'becomes' describing a person's manner

Grandma scolded Hao for being frivolous during the funeral and laughing at the priest.

奶奶責備 Hao 在喪禮上不正經，竟然對著神父發笑。

be + frivolous + during [serious event]

同義詞
  • flippant

    stronger; specifically about disrespectful joking in serious contexts

  • silly

    milder and more childlike than frivolous, without the disapproving edge

  • giddy

    implies excitement-driven silliness; shorter-lived than frivolous

反義詞
  • serious

    the everyday opposite

  • earnest

    implies sincere effort rather than just gravity

用法筆記

Describes a person or their manner. Distinguish from sense 2 (which describes activities, objects, or expenses): a 'frivolous person' is silly; a 'frivolous purchase' is unnecessary, regardless of who made it.

常見錯誤

❌Heather is a frivolous to her work.
✅Heather is frivolous about her work.
💡use the preposition 'about', not 'to', after a person + linking verb.
❌The boy was so frivolous that he was a child.
✅The boy was so frivolous that nobody took him seriously.
💡pair 'so frivolous' with a real consequence, not a tautology.

2. (of an activity, purchase, request, or object) trivial in nature so that spendin

2.形容詞B2
釋義

無謂的；瑣碎

本身不重要、花時間或金錢不值得

(of an activity, purchase, request, or object) trivial in nature so that spending time or money on it is hard to justify, especially next to something more pressing.

例句

Quan's parents called the new gaming chair a frivolous purchase while the boiler still needed repair.

鍋爐還沒修好，Quan 的父母卻說那張新電競椅是無謂的開銷。

frivolous + [purchase/expense noun]

Most committee members rejected the proposal as a frivolous use of the school's emergency funds.

多數委員以動用緊急經費太瑣碎為由，駁回了那項提案。

rejected as a frivolous use of [resource]

同義詞
  • trivial

    neutral; lacks the spending-priority connotation of frivolous

  • unnecessary

    broader; covers expensive non-trivial items too

  • superficial

    focuses on lack of depth rather than lack of importance

反義詞

用法筆記

Subject is usually a thing or activity (purchase, request, hobby, article, event), not a person. The judgement is comparative — frivolous against a more pressing alternative — so the contrast is often spelled out by 'while', 'compared with', or context.

常見錯誤

❌The repair was frivolous because it cost too much.
✅The repair was unnecessary because it cost too much.
💡high cost alone doesn't make something frivolous; the thing must be trivial in nature.
❌Selim wasted money on frivolous.
✅Selim wasted money on frivolous things.
💡frivolous is an adjective and needs a noun.

3. (of a lawsuit, complaint, or appeal) lacking enough real evidence or legal merit

3.形容詞C1
釋義

無理由；濫訴

缺乏實證或法律依據的訴訟或申訴

(of a lawsuit, complaint, or appeal) lacking enough real evidence or legal merit that a court has little reason to spend time on it.

例句

The judge dismissed Élise's lawsuit as frivolous within ten minutes of opening arguments.

法官在開庭十分鐘內就以無理由為由駁回了 Élise 的訴訟。

dismiss + as frivolous — the canonical legal pattern

Filing a frivolous complaint against a colleague can damage your own reputation at the firm.

對同事提出無理由的申訴，可能反而毀掉你在事務所的聲譽。

frivolous + [legal-process noun]

同義詞
  • groundless

    shares the 'no real basis' meaning but lacks the legal-jargon flavour

  • baseless

    near-synonym; equally common in formal writing

  • vexatious

    stronger legal term — claim filed mainly to annoy or harass

反義詞
  • meritorious

    the standard legal opposite — a claim with real legal grounds

  • substantiated

    focuses on evidence backing the claim

用法筆記

Formal, mostly legal. Subject is usually a lawsuit / complaint / appeal / claim / petition. Distinguish from sense 2: a frivolous lawsuit is not merely 'unimportant' — it has no real legal basis, and a judge can sanction the filer.

常見錯誤

❌The lawyer wrote a frivolous letter to his client.
✅The lawyer filed a frivolous claim against his client.
💡sense 3 needs a legal-process noun (claim, suit, appeal), not just any document.
❌The court called the witness frivolous.
✅The court called the lawsuit frivolous.
💡sense 3 attaches to the proceeding, not the person.