Adjacent Words

Levity definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LEV'ITY, n. [L. levitas, from levis, light; connected perhaps with Eng. lift.]
1. Lightness; the want of weight in a body, compared with another that is heavier. The ascent of a balloon in the air is owing to its levity, as the gas that fills it is lighter than common air.
2. Lightness of temper or conduct; inconstancy; changeableness; unsteadiness; as the levity of youth.
3. Want of due consideration; vanity; freak. He never employed his omnipotence out of levity or ostentation.
4. Gaiety of mind; want of seriousness; disposition to trifle. The spirit of religion and seriousness was succeeded by levity.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: feeling an inappropriate lack of seriousness [ant: gravity, solemnity]
2: a manner lacking seriousness

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Latin levitat-, levitas, from levis light in weight — more at light Date: 1564 1. excessive or unseemly frivolity 2. lack of steadiness ; changeableness

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 lack of serious thought, frivolity, unbecoming jocularity. 2 inconstancy. 3 undignified behaviour. 4 archaic lightness of weight. Etymology: L levitas f. levis light

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Levity Lev"i*ty (l[e^]v"[i^]*t[y^]), n. [L. levitas, fr. levis light in weight; akin to levare to raise. See Lever, n.] 1. The quality of weighing less than something else of equal bulk; relative lightness, especially as shown by rising through, or floating upon, a contiguous substance; buoyancy; -- opposed to gravity. He gave the form of levity to that which ascended; to that which descended, the form of gravity. --Sir. W. Raleigh. This bubble by reason of its comparative levity to the fluidity that incloses it, would ascend to the top. --Bentley. 2. Lack of gravity and earnestness in deportment or character; trifling gayety; frivolity; sportiveness; vanity. `` A spirit of levity and libertinism.'' --Atterbury. He never employed his omnipotence out of levity. --Calamy. 3. Lack of steadiness or constancy; disposition to change; fickleness; volatility. The levity that is fatigued and disgusted with everything of which it is in possession. --Burke. Syn: Inconstancy; thoughtlessness; unsteadiness; inconsideration; volatility; flightiness. Usage: Levity, Volatility, Flightiness. All these words relate to outward conduct. Levity springs from a lightness of mind which produces a disregard of the proprieties of time and place.Volatility is a degree of levity which causes the thoughts to fly from one object to another, without resting on any for a moment. Flightiness is volatility carried to an extreme which often betrays its subject into gross impropriety or weakness. Levity of deportment, of conduct, of remark; volatility of temper, of spirits; flightiness of mind or disposition.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Levity is behaviour that shows a tendency to treat serious matters in a non-serious way. (LITERARY) At the time, Arnold had disapproved of such levity. = frivolity

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Lightness, want of weight. 2. Frivolity, flightiness, giddiness, volatility, want of seriousness.

Moby Thesaurus

absentmindedness, absurdity, airiness, amusement, ascent, banter, big deal, booing, bounce, breeziness, bubbliness, buoyancy, carefreeness, carelessness, catcalling, chaffing, changeableness, chirpiness, coquettishness, daintiness, debonairness, delicacy, derision, disregard, disregardfulness, distraction, downiness, emptiness, ethereality, facetiousness, faddishness, faddism, fickleness, fleering, flightiness, flimsiness, flippancy, floatability, fluffiness, foaminess, folly, fooling, foolishness, frivolity, frivolousness, frothiness, fun, futility, gentleness, giddiness, glee, gleefulness, gossameriness, grinning, heedlessness, high glee, hilariousness, hilarity, hissing, hooting, idleness, inadvertence, inadvertency, inanity, inattention, inattentiveness, inconsideration, inconstancy, incuriosity, indifference, inobservance, jauntiness, jeering, jocularity, jocundity, jolliness, jollity, joshing, joviality, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, lack of weight, laughter, leering, levitation, light heart, lightheartedness, lightmindedness, lightness, lightsomeness, mercuriality, mercurialness, merriment, merriness, mirth, mirthfulness, mockery, negligence, nonobservance, nugacity, obliviousness, panning, perkiness, pertness, playfulness, prankishness, pranksomeness, ragging, raillery, rallying, razzing, regardlessness, resilience, ridicule, roasting, roguishness, scoffing, shallowness, silliness, skittishness, slenderness, slightness, smart-aleckiness, smartness, smirking, sneering, snickering, sniggering, snorting, softness, sportiveness, superficiality, taunting, tenderness, thoughtlessness, trickery, trickiness, triflingness, triteness, triviality, trivialization, trivialness, twitting, unalertness, unawareness, unconsciousness, undependability, unheaviness, unheedfulness, unintentiveness, unmindfulness, unobservance, unpredictability, unreliability, unwariness, unwatchfulness, vacuity, vanity, vapidity, volatility, waggery, waggishness, weightlessness, yeastiness