flippant
adjective/ˈflɪpənt/
/ˈflɪpənt/
(also informal flip)
(disapproving)- showing that you do not take something as seriously as other people think you should
- a flippant answer/attitude
- Sorry, I didn't mean to sound flippant.
- You can’t afford to be flippant about such matters.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryFlippant is used with these nouns:- remark
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from flip + -ant, perhaps on the pattern of heraldic terms such as couchant and rampant. Early senses included ‘nimble’ and ‘talkative’, hence ‘playful’, giving rise to the current use ‘lacking seriousness’.Want to learn more?
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flippant