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Flippant vs Droll - What's the difference?

flippant | droll |

In archaic terms the difference between flippant and droll

is that flippant is glib; speaking with ease and rapidity while droll is to joke, to jest.

As a noun droll is

a buffoon.

As a verb droll is

to joke, to jest.

flippant

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (archaic) glib; speaking with ease and rapidity
  • * Barrow
    • It becometh good men, in such cases, to be flippant and free in their speech.
  • nimble; limber.
  • Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.
  • * Burke
    • a sort of flippant , vain discourse
  • * 1998 , , The Metaphysical Touch
    • The conversations had grown more adult over the years—she was less flippant , at least.
  • * 2000 , Anthony Howard and Jason Cowley, Decline and Fall, New Statesman, March 13, 2000
    • In the mid-1950s we both wrote for the same weekly, where her contributions were a good deal more serious and less flippant than mine.
  • * 2004 , , The Easy Way to Stop Smoking , page 147
    • Our society treats smoking flippantly as a slightly distasteful habit that can injure your health. It is not. It is drug addiction.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * serious

    Derived terms

    * flippancy

    See also

    * irreverent * pert * facetious * frivolous

    External links

    * * English words suffixed with -ant ----

    droll

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • oddly humorous; whimsical, amusing in a quaint way; waggish

    • Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * drollery * drolly * drollness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) A buffoon
  • * , Episode 12, The Cyclops
    • Our two inimitable drolls did a roaring trade with their broadsheets among lovers of the comedy element and nobody who has a corner in his heart for real Irish fun without vulgarity will grudge them their hardearned pennies.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (archaic) To joke, to jest.
  • * 1886 , Robert Louise Stevenson, Kidnapped
    • "Eh, man," said I, drolling with him a little, "you're very ingenious! But would it not be simpler for you to write him a few words in black and white?

    Anagrams

    * ----