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Glite Dictionary
flippancy

flippancy

1 8.4
A remark or action that shows little respect for serious matters
  • noun
  • /ˈflɪpənsi/
: frivolidad
  • This is no time for flippancy, Higgins.

And both of those are real and, and like the, the, the flippancy with which, the, the casualness with which we decide.

Examples

  • There was humor, irreverence, love, anger, sadness, and even juvenile flippancy.

    Blog text (13)

  • Let me assure you, we are in no mood for flippancy.

    A Foreign Affair (1948)

  • "It comes with certain perks," she said, pleased by the flippancy of her tone.

    Academic text (2007)

  • And so, to genuine and serious approval, there was added some flippancy and caricature.

    Academic text (1999)

  • I sense flippancy, Gassalasca, but actually I think you've made a damn good point.

    Blog text (19)

  • But I don't know if rationalizing your words by pleading "irony" or "flippancy" is going to cut it.

    Blog text (17)

  • Much more so than Elyot, Amanda struggles throughout the play with her conscience as her partner works hard to convert her to a life of careless flippancy.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Even the normally staid Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) commented on the flippancy with which Iranian officials seem to allow their radical politics.

    Academic text (2007)

  • If The Millionairess's first half apes Coward's style, its second half works aggressively to dismantle its insular program of deliberate flippancy, bringing its characters into what Shaw feels is a more efficient and ethical relationship with the rest of the world.

    Academic text (2017)

  • In serious discussions, your constant flippancy can undermine our efforts to find solutions.

Synonyms

levity
vsflippancy
16 7.4

Light, joking talk or behavior when people expect seriousness

often adds a tone of disrespect rather than simple lightness
facetiousness
vsflippancy
1 7.8

A habit of making playful jokes about serious things

focuses more on disrespectful lack of seriousness than playful intent
cheekiness
vsflippancy
  • Informal
1 5.8

A bold, slightly rude way of speaking or acting that is playful and shows little respect

leans more toward disrespectful insolence than merely being unserious
light-mindedness
vsflippancy
8.5

A lack of seriousness when people expect it

is about disrespectful or improper levity rather than mere lack of seriousness

Antonyms

seriousness
53 2.7

A calm and honest way of speaking or acting that shows you mean what you say

respectfulness
1 3.9

Polite and kind behavior toward other people's feelings and wishes

How Serious

solemnity
  • Formal
9 7.0
seriousness
41 3.4
flippancy
1 8.4
levity
16 7.4
frivolity
9 6.7

Surface Forms

flippancy singular
flippancies plural

Morphology

flippancy = flippant (transparent) = flippant + cy

Derived regularly from the adjective 'flippant' with the productive noun-forming suffix '-cy', yielding 'the state or quality of being flippant'.

Etymology

Flippancy comes from the small word flip plus the ending -ancy, where flip suggests a quick, light movement. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine someone 'flipping' away a serious question with a short, careless answer, so flippancy means being 'not serious' and lacking proper respect.