as in notion
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whim
These actions also leave Kansas' 18,000 federal employees vulnerable to termination not for poor performance but simply due to political whims.
—
Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Where the last regime kowtowed to Rodgers’ every whim, Glenn and Mougey are leaving it up to interpretation.
—Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 28 Jan. 2025
Now the American public is at the whims of the administration’s promises.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025
Logging and development projects are at the whim of market pressures and politics.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Where the last regime kowtowed to Rodgers’ every whim, Glenn and Mougey are leaving it up to interpretation.
—Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 28 Jan. 2025
Now the American public is at the whims of the administration’s promises.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025
Logging and development projects are at the whim of market pressures and politics.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whim
Noun
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As Kerekes explained to me, karma isn’t simply the notion of retribution or some one-to-one exchange of good or bad.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
17 Feb. 2025
-
The image of monkey god Hanuman, representing wisdom, strength, courage, devotion and self-discipline, is prominently placed in the series, which pits Western notions of wealth and materialism against Buddhist concepts of selflessness and spirituality.—
Jordan Riefe,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Most important, Afghanistan’s citizens have come to expect a more predictable experience when crossing borders, less subject to the whims and caprice of officials.—
George Gavrilis,
Foreign Affairs,
4 June 2015
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Back when podcasting wasn’t co-opted by YouTube, the idea was that owning your own successful podcast insulates you from being completely beholden to the caprice of social-media algorithms.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
12 Sep. 2024
Noun
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Commercial pilot and licensed psychotherapist shares words of encouragement after recent plane crashes Michaela Renee Johnson says fear is a natural response to seeing the recent aviation disasters — and shares her thoughts on how people can ultimately tackle their fear.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
22 Feb. 2025
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Initially, there was a thought to fudge the rules a bit and just go with their birthplace, but they were born in different states: Quinn in Orlando and Luke in Manchester, New Hampshire.—
Peter Baugh,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Vape shops have spread across the American retail landscape with a bizarre swiftness, seemingly unbeholden to the same vagaries of inflation, customer demand, and local real estate that bind every other kind of storefront small business in the country.—
Amanda Mull,
The Atlantic,
22 June 2023
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Third, repeaters should prove capable of swapping this data between nodes in a network in a predictable way and not one too subject to the vagaries of chance.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
13 June 2023
Noun
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Many of the archival clips had been featured in one or more of the prior anniversary shows, like Martin and Gilda Radner frantically dancing together at a bar, or a short film where Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks shared a fantasy waltz.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2025
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Heralded for its visuals, the fantasy feature follows a young deity who defies destiny and wields supernatural powers to protect his people from his formidable foes.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Kerry Washington delivered dramatic whimsy in a floral-appliqué Prada bra top and ball-appropriate skirt.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2025
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The new release, fuses the label’s signature minimalism with subtle touches of whimsy, providing fans with a capsule range that feels both current and enduring.—
Angela Lei,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Incentives are promised, ideas take hold and our fancies consume our lives.—
Lisa Stardust,
refinery29.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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Whatever your fancy, Glen Rose has lots of options to meet your needs.—
Kristy Christiansen,
Southern Living,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whim. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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