whimsically-dismissed
|whim-si-cal-ly-dis-missed|
/ˈwɪm.zɪ.kəl.i dɪsˈmɪst/
(dismiss)
send away
Etymology
'whimsically-dismissed' is a modern English compound made from the adverb 'whimsically' and the past-participle 'dismissed'. 'Whimsically' derives from 'whimsical' (from 'whimsy' / 'whim'), and 'dismissed' derives from the verb 'dismiss' (see below).
'whim' (17th century) comes from earlier informal forms such as 'whim-wham' meaning a fanciful notion; 'whimsical' formed from 'whim' + '-ical' produced 'whimsical' meaning 'given to whim or caprice.' 'Dismiss' originates from Latin 'dīmittere' (dis- 'apart' + mittere 'to send'), evolving through Old French and Middle English into modern English 'dismiss.' The compound 'whimsically-dismissed' follows modern English compounding patterns.
Initially, 'whim' and 'whimsical' meant a capricious fancy or notion; 'dismiss' originally meant 'to send away.' Over time, compounds like 'whimsically-dismissed' came to describe not only physical sending away but also figurative rejection or termination performed in a capricious manner.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
describing a person or action that was dismissed (e.g., fired, rejected, or set aside) in a whimsical, capricious, or lightly arbitrary way — i.e., removed or rejected on a whim rather than after careful consideration.
After one small error, several employees were whimsically-dismissed from the project.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/08/15 00:43