mimsy

Mimsy describes someone or something that is prim, underwhelming, or unimportant, as in Everyone expected the play would be unrestrained and exciting, but it was really just mimsy.

Mimsy was coined by author Lewis Carrol for his children’s novel Through the Looking-Glass. It appears in the poem “Jabberwocky,” which is part of the novel. In the poem, the borograves (also a made-up term) are described as being mimsy.

Mimsy is mostly used in the way Carrol intended, often in a playful rather than serious way.

Example: Mikahil was unhappy with their contribution to the event because it was ultimately mimsy and unhelpful.

The first records of the term mimsy come from around 1855. Coined by English writer Lewis Carroll, it is said to blend miserable and flimsy.

“Jabberwocky” is also the source of the other made-up words, including chortle, galumph, and frumious. Carroll’s words are often used casually or playfully. The line from “Jabberwocky,” “mimsy were the borogoves” is often quoted as an allusion to Carroll’s work and is the title of a 1940s science fiction short story that was adapted into the 2007 science fiction movie The Last Mimzy.

What are some other forms related to mimsy?

• mimsier (adjective)
• mimsiest (adjective)

What are some words that share a root or word element with mimsy? 

• miserable
• flimsy

What are some words that often get used in discussing mimsy?

• Jabberwocky
• nonsense
• nonce

Mimsy is most often used in reference to Lewis Carroll, though it is sometimes used to describe something that is miserable and flimsy.

'Twas brillig, & the slithy toves/Did gyre & gimble in the wabe:/All mimsy were the borogroves,/And the mome raths outgrabe. Lewis Carroll 👍

— Carrie Fisher (@carrieffisher) May 27, 2015

Can we say "died" instead of the mimsy, "passed away"? Dying, however sadly, is what we mortals do.

— anne mcelvoy (@annemcelvoy) January 16, 2018

Pinterest needs an “I hate this. Get this mimsy crap out of my feed” button

— 🍞🍞Tim Hayward🍞🍞 (@timhayward) September 17, 2015

Is mimsy used correctly in the following sentence?

After getting an A on the essay, I’m feeling mimsy.