flippancy
Treating serious lightly
Flippancy is a lack of proper seriousness or respect, treating weighty matters with casual disregard: His flippancy during the funeral offended everyone.
The word implies inappropriate levity—joking when gravity is called for.
Someone accused of flippancy isn't being funny; they're being thoughtlessly dismissive.
Lack of seriousness
- lightheartednessCheerful lack of worry
- playfulnessLighthearted, frisky spirit
- whimsyPlayful, capricious quality
- sillinessFrivolous, absurd behavior
carefreeness · gaiety · insouciance · nonchalance · triviality · superficiality · airiness · breeziness
Rude disregard for propriety
- insolenceBold, offensive disrespect
- cheekinessLighthearted disrespect
- impudenceShameless boldness toward superiors
- audacityBrazen, reckless daring
irreverence · contempt · disdain · dismissiveness · rudeness · brashness · presumptuousness · discourtesy
Irony used to mock
- derisionContemptuous mockery
- ridiculeContemptuous mocking treatment
- sneeringExpressing scorn facially
- scoffingMocking with contempt
taunting · jeering · snideness · snark · facetiousness · irony · sardonic wit · cutting remarks
Playful, teasing exchange
- reparteeQuick, clever conversation
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- quipsBrief witty remarks
drollery · waggishness · jesting · raillery · wisecracking · puns · one-liners · zingers
levity
Lack of seriousness
- lightheartednessCheerful lack of worry
- playfulnessLighthearted, frisky spirit
- whimsyPlayful, capricious quality
silliness · carefreeness · gaiety · insouciance · nonchalance · triviality · superficiality · airiness · breeziness · effervescence
impertinence
Rude disregard for propriety
- insolenceBold, offensive disrespect
- cheekinessLighthearted disrespect
- impudenceShameless boldness toward superiors
audacity · irreverence · contempt · disdain · dismissiveness · rudeness · brashness · presumptuousness · discourtesy · brazenness
sarcasm
Irony used to mock
scoffing · taunting · jeering · snideness · snark · facetiousness · irony · sardonic wit · cutting remarks · gibes
banter
Playful, teasing exchange
- reparteeQuick, clever conversation
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
quips · drollery · waggishness · jesting · raillery · wisecracking · puns · one-liners · zingers · retorts
- backtalkbacktalk, sass, lip, backchat, talk back
- audacityboldness, brazenness, audacity, chutzpah, gall
- indifferenceapathy, indifference, unconcern, disinterest, nonchalance
- frivolousnesssilliness, whimsy, playfulness, levity, giddiness
- impietyungodliness, unholiness, irreverence, sacrilege, blasphemy
- nonchalancenonchalance, insouciance, casualness, indifference, unconcern
flippancyseriousness
Earnest, weighty demeanor
earnestness · gravity · solemnity · gravitas · soberness
flippancyreverence
Profound admiring respect
respect · deference · courtesy · veneration · piety
flippancysincerity
Honest, unfeigned genuineness
earnestness · gloom · melancholy · solemnity · depth