frivolous
English
WOTD – 11 April 2010
Etymology
From Latin frīvolus (“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”), with the ending modified to match -ous.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfɹɪv.əl.əs/
- Hyphenation: friv‧o‧lous
Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file)
Adjective
frivolous (comparative more frivolous, superlative most frivolous)
- Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner.
- Of little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight.
- (law, said of a lawsuit) 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.
- 1996 August 31, Paul F. Waldner, President-Elect, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, “Viewpoints”, in Houston Chroniclecitation:
- 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.
- Factcheck.org:
- One of the major cost drivers in the delivery of health care are these junk and frivolous lawsuits.
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Derived terms
Translations
silly; especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner
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of little weight or importance; not worth notice
Further reading
- frivolous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- frivolous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
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