as in notions
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
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Recent Examples of whims
Not knowing which country the event's most important matches will be played underlines cricket being handcuffed to the whims of money-spinner India, whose power might be heightened by the ascension of former boss Jay Shah running the sport's affairs globally.
—
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
Ours is the world of strongmen, where decisions increasingly turn on the whims of a vanishing few.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
To continue to succeed, leadership teams must shift their focus to managing the whims and expectations of institutional and retail investors alike.
—Ilona Limonta-Volkova, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
For decades, the flagship on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street housed a custom salon, an atelier bustling with seamstresses catering to the sartorial whims of society’s grande dames.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2024
But Bob, who has always gone his own way, refuses to cater to their whims.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024
Public health must take its rightful place as a cornerstone of national policy, insulated from political whims and guided by science.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
The volumes of whisky sold aren’t as tied to the whims of the stock markets or the ups and downs of the global economy.
—Oliver Court, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
But his color mixing system was technically flawed, subject to the whims of the natural elements, and never became widely adopted.
—Emma Bowman, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
Ours is the world of strongmen, where decisions increasingly turn on the whims of a vanishing few.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
To continue to succeed, leadership teams must shift their focus to managing the whims and expectations of institutional and retail investors alike.
—Ilona Limonta-Volkova, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
For decades, the flagship on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street housed a custom salon, an atelier bustling with seamstresses catering to the sartorial whims of society’s grande dames.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2024
But Bob, who has always gone his own way, refuses to cater to their whims.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024
Public health must take its rightful place as a cornerstone of national policy, insulated from political whims and guided by science.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
The volumes of whisky sold aren’t as tied to the whims of the stock markets or the ups and downs of the global economy.
—Oliver Court, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
But his color mixing system was technically flawed, subject to the whims of the natural elements, and never became widely adopted.
—Emma Bowman, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near whims
Cite this Entry
“Whims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whims. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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