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whimsical

[hwim-zi-kuhl, wim-]

adjective

given to whimsy or fanciful notions; capricious: a pixyish, whimsical fellow.

of the nature of or proceeding from whimsy, as thoughts or actions: Her writing showed whimsical notions of human behavior.

erratic; unpredictable: He was too whimsical with regard to his work.

Origin:
1645–55; whims(y) + -ical

Related forms

whim·si·cal·ly, adverb

un·whim·si·cal, adjective

un·whim·si·cal·ly, adverb

un·whim·si·cal·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Whimsical is a GRE word you need to know.

So is discretion. Does it mean:

the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment; freedom of judgment or choice

model of excellence or perfection

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Example Sentences

The songs here are supposed to be whimsical, but they are rather labored.

With his wild and whimsical imagery, the Russian-born artist bucked the trends of 20th-century art.

You are every bit as kind, whimsical, generous and lovely as your books.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

whimsical (ˈwɪmzɪk^əl)

—*adj*
1.	spontaneously fanciful or playful
2.	given to whims; capricious
3.	quaint, unusual, or fantastic

whimsicality

—n

'whimsically

—*adv*

'whimsicalness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

whimsical

1650s, from whimsy. Related: Whimsically.

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fantasied folly nonsense verse pixilated vagary whigmaleerie

Matching Quote

"A poet is no rattlebrain, saying what comes uppermost, and, because he says every thing, saying, at last, something good; but a heart in unison with his time and country. There is nothing whimsical or fantastic in his production, but sweet and sad earnest, freighted with the weightiest convictions, and pointed with the most determined aim which any man or class knows of in his times."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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