flippant

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈflɪpənt/ UK /ˈflɪp.ənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #40137

Meanings

1

adj
Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.

A sort of flippant, vain discourse.
2

adj
Loquacious; speaking with ease and rapidity.

November 5, 1673, Isaac Barrow, sermon on the Gunpowder Treason It becometh good men, in such cases, to be pleasantly flippant and free in their speech.

Thesaurus

Opposites

serious

Word family

Forms flippancy

Derived forms flippancyflippantlyflippantnessunflippant

Related forms facetious frivolous irreverent pert

Simplified etymology

Flippant was formed in the early 17th century from flip. Flip itself was probably a shortened form of fillip, originally “a flick of the finger.”

Etymology

1595, from Northern English dialectal flippand (“prattling, babbling, glib”), present participle of flip (“to babble”), of North Germanic origin. Cognate with Icelandic fleipa (“to babble, prattle”), Swedish dialectal flepa (“to talk nonsense”). Alteration of -and suffix (a variant of the participial -ing) to -ant probably due to influence from words in -ant.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# flippant

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈflɪpənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈflɪp.ənt/
**Frequency rank:** 40137

## Meanings
1. Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.
2. Loquacious; speaking with ease and rapidity.

## Examples
- A sort of flippant, vain discourse.
- November 5, 1673, Isaac Barrow, sermon on the Gunpowder Treason It becometh good men, in such cases, to be pleasantly flippant and free in their speech.

## Antonyms
- serious

## Derived Forms
- flippancy
- flippantly
- flippantness
- unflippant

## Related Forms
- facetious
- frivolous
- irreverent
- pert

## Etymology
1595, from Northern English dialectal flippand (“prattling, babbling, glib”), present participle of flip (“to babble”), of North Germanic origin. Cognate with Icelandic fleipa (“to babble, prattle”), Swedish dialectal flepa (“to talk nonsense”). Alteration of -and suffix (a variant of the participial -ing) to -ant probably due to influence from words in -ant.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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