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
At best, the rulers who met in Doha on Monday act as supplicants, relying on the whims of a unpredictable US president to intercede with Israel’s leader.
—
Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Their whims work for or against us with no logic involved.
—Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
At the end of each task, Davies awards points based on performance and his own whims, and the winner at the end of each series gets a trophy shaped like Davies’s head.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
These were not just silly geographical whims, Jessica Winter pointed out at the time.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
The Fed’s independence has been central to the United States’ role as the globe’s preeminent economic power; investors worldwide believe the central bank won’t act on a president’s whims.
—Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
However, the unions seem committed to pushing for change regardless of the political whims of the current administration.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
This makes the younger generation more susceptible and vulnerable to falling prey to the whims of a bot.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
In this still-early stage of the AI boom, Silicon Valley, for all its impunity, has chosen not to voice robust ideas about democracy that differ substantively from the whims of a mercurial White House.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Their whims work for or against us with no logic involved.
—Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
At the end of each task, Davies awards points based on performance and his own whims, and the winner at the end of each series gets a trophy shaped like Davies’s head.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
These were not just silly geographical whims, Jessica Winter pointed out at the time.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
The Fed’s independence has been central to the United States’ role as the globe’s preeminent economic power; investors worldwide believe the central bank won’t act on a president’s whims.
—Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
However, the unions seem committed to pushing for change regardless of the political whims of the current administration.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
This makes the younger generation more susceptible and vulnerable to falling prey to the whims of a bot.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
In this still-early stage of the AI boom, Silicon Valley, for all its impunity, has chosen not to voice robust ideas about democracy that differ substantively from the whims of a mercurial White House.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whims
Noun
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Harry's uncompromising, one sided view of notions like truth, lies and accountability may sound warning sirens about whether reconciliation is possible in the long-term.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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This was Maxwell’s (classical) theory for electromagnetism, putting the previously distinct notions of electricity and magnetism together into a unified footing.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Both his African heritage and his new exploration of the verisimilitudes and vagaries of New York City life paint the ongoing development of The Watchman, sometimes featured as the key figure as in the monumental portrait, AH!—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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While Jane Austen is best known for skewering the vagaries of romantic love in her novels, there is another, equally complicated and meaningful type of relationship that runs through them, too — that of siblings.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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His storyline becomes a quest for truth within a shelter built on fantasies and populated by liars.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
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By its thinking, its brand is built on fairytales and fantasies, not taking positions on socially divisive topics, which have come with consequences (Conservatives go to Disney World too).—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whims. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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