frivolous

adj
/ˈfɹɪv.ə.ləs/

Etymology

From Latin frīvolus (“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”), with the ending modified to match -ous.

  1. borrowed from frīvolus

Definitions

  1. Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner

    Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner; lacking a good reason for being, or for doing what one does; due to or moved by a caprice or whim.

    • trifling ((literary)
  2. Of little weight or importance

    Of little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight; trivial.

  3. Having no reasonable prospect of success because its claim is without merit, lacking a…

    Having no reasonable prospect of success because its claim is without merit, lacking a supporting legal or factual basis, while the filing party is, or should be, aware of this.

    • There is no easy definition for the phrase 'frivolous lawsuit,' but I imagine any claim for damages where the injuries are minimal or where the basis for the defendant's liability is hard to believe, might qualify as frivolous.
    • One of the major cost drivers in the delivery of health care are these junk and frivolous lawsuits.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at frivolous. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01frivolous02whim03horse04legs05left06anticlockwise07fashion

A definitional loop anchored at frivolous. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

7 hops · closes at frivolous

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA