英和和英

語源

From Latin frīvolus (“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”), with the ending modified to match -ous.

発音

• IPA: /ˈfɹɪv.ə.ləs/
• ハイフネーション: friv‧o‧lous

形容詞

frivolous (comparative more frivolous, superlative most frivolous)

1. Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner; lacking a good reason for being, or for doing what one does; due to or moved by a caprice or whim.
2. Of little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight; trivial.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:insignificant

3. (law, said of a lawsuit) Having no reasonable prospect of success because its claim is without merit, lacking a supporting legal or factual basis, while the filing party is, or should be, aware of this.
   • 1996 August 31, Paul F. Waldner, President-Elect, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, “Viewpoints”, in Houston Chronicle‎, archived from the original on 16 April 2005:

     There is no easy definition for the phrase 'frivolous lawsuit,' but I imagine any claim for damages where the injuries are minimal or where the basis for the defendant's liability is hard to believe, might qualify as frivolous.

   • 2005, Factcheck.org:

     One of the major cost drivers in the delivery of health care are these junk and frivolous lawsuits.

派生語

関連する語

• frivol
• frivolity

Further reading

• “frivolous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “frivolous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.