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Trace Whimsical Back to the 16th Century
Even the origin of whimsical is whimsical: its ultimate source (by way of the noun whimsy) is the now-obscure whim-wham, a noun from the early 16th century that first referred to an ornamental object or trinket, and later to an eccentric impulse or interest—that is, to what in modern terms can be called a whim. The origin of whim-wham isn’t clear, but it’s among a class of words known as reduplications, words that are formed by repeating a word, as in go-go, or by adding to a word one that sounds very similar to it, as in dillydally. (In the case of whim-wham, the original duplicated term has been lost to time.) While whimsical first described those who tend toward whimsy, it now commonly describes things that are unusual in a playful or amusing way, as in “charmed by the book’s whimsical illustrations.”
Examples of whimsical in a Sentence
Janice Wald Henderson, Chocolatier, March 2001
Unlike the broad slapstick humor of Musical Mose and other early Herriman strips, Krazy Kat was gentle, fey, and whimsical.
—Jeet Heer, Lingua Franca, September 2001
In the whimsical linguistics of theoretical physics, the "naked" electron is an imaginary object cut off from the influences of the field, whereas a "dressed" electron carries the imprint of the universe, but it is all buried in extremely tiny modifications to its bare properties.
—Leon Lederman et al., The God Particle, 1993
She has a whimsical sense of humor.
it's hard to make plans with such a whimsical best friend
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Venus’ journey through Pisces adds a dreamy, whimsical vibration to relationship dynamics, more than often resulting in the desire for meaningful connections and love stories that resemble a fairytale romance.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025
Cue the irreverent and whimsical twists to his sober and tailored suits and trenches, like the tiny cowbells referencing the Swiss heritage of the brand or his diving into the country’s folk stories, such as the legend of an Engadine lake mermaid, for fall 2024.
—Luisa Zargani, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025
As the years passed, Kraft became increasingly well-known for his grand, whimsical sculptures and bold murals for public spaces across the U.S.
—Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for whimsical 
Dictionary Entries Near whimsical
Cite this Entry
“Whimsical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whimsical. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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whimsical
adjective
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