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flimsy Definition

flimsy (flim′zē)

adjective -·sier, -·si·est

  1. thin and easily broken or damaged; poorly made and fragile; frail
  2. ill-conceived and inadequate; ineffectual a flimsy excuse

Etymology: < ?

noun pl. -·sies

  1. a sheet of thin paper, as used for carbon copies
  2. written or typed copy on such paper

flimsy Related Forms
flim′·sily adverb flim′·si·ness noun
flimsy Synonyms

flimsy

modif.

  1. Said of physical things

    slight, frail, weak, gauzy, sleazy, sheer, shoddy, unsubstantial, defective, shaky, wobbly, rickety, fragile, wispy, makeshift, decrepit, infirm; see also poor 2.

    Antonyms sturdy, heavy, strong.

  2. Said of arguments, reasons, and the like

    feeble, weak, inadequate, unconvincing, lame, trifling, inept, superficial, inane, implausible, ill-conceived, puerile, fallacious, false, assailable, controvertible, contemptible, wishful; see also sense 1, illogical.

    Antonyms cogent, logical*, unanswerable.

flimsy Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • evidence: Secondly, the statement is based on the flimsiest of evidence.
  • excuse: They start for the flimsiest of excuses: you spilled my pint, looked at me funny, looked at my girlfriend.
  • pretext: The only risible thing is that you continue to try to have a pop at me on the flimsiest of pretexts.
  • reason: Honestly, folks will have you hitched up for the flimsiest of reasons!

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • feel: Manufacturers pull out all the stops on quality these days, but the C3 feels a bit flimsy.

Modifies a noun

  • pretext: Reliability Cancel meetings frequently on the flimsiest pretexts that you can.
  • wallet: Don't confuse with other cheap, flimsy paper wallets on the market.
  • excuse: I said, " Oh, there was always some flimsy excuse or another.
  • tent: The gusty overnight winds blowing off the sea also played havoc with some of the more flimsy tents.
  • evidence: Their great confidence was based on very flimsy evidence.
  • plot: Recently the image has altered, preferring to inject more angst, more comedy and more flimsy plots.

Modifying Another Word

  • rather: The bell hangs in a rather flimsy wooden frame on plain bearings.
  • fairly: As a result of its small build and low weight, the A200 unfortunately suffers from a fairly flimsy chassis.
  • somewhat: I've been quite busy of late and that is my somewhat flimsy excuse for the lack of updates.
  • too: The blade bolts are too flimsy or instead they've used rivets.
  • pretty: Others, like the blood type diet, are pretty flimsy.
  • very: Their great confidence was based on very flimsy evidence.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: I thought the whole interior of the house seemed flimsy.
  • feel: It just makes the rest of the book feel rather flimsy in my eyes.
  • look: Many didn't trust them - they looked far too flimsy to bear the weight of real cavers.