flimsy

adjective flim·sy \ ˈflim-zē \

Updated on: 9 Dec 2017

Definition of flimsy

flimsier; flimsiest

1 a : lacking in physical strength or substance

flimsy silks

wore a flimsy dress

b : of inferior materials and workmanship

flimsy construction

2 : having little worth or plausibility

a flimsy excuse

a movie with a flimsy plot

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flimsily

play \ˈflim-zə-lē\ adverb

—

flimsiness

play \ˈflim-zē-nəs\ noun

See flimsy defined for English-language learners

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Examples of flimsy in a Sentence

a flimsy piece of material
They have only the flimsiest of evidence against him.
a movie with a flimsy plot

Recent Examples of flimsy from the Web

Christian is the embodiment of this split, an earnest aesthete and devoted careerist who judges himself, on flimsy evidence, to be a good guy.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘The Square’ Review: Satire With All the Right Angles," 26 Oct. 2017
And one other less obvious need: rock-solid hardware, because a cheap zipper or flimsy handle will tank even the coolest-looking bag.

— matt martin, GQ, "The Best Gym Bags Are as Cool as Everything Else in Your Closet," 23 Oct. 2017
Authorities in Puerto Rico warned people who live in wooden or flimsy homes to find safe shelter before the storm’s expected arrival Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

— brian k sullivan, Bloomberg.com, "Maria Latest Threat to Puerto Rico After $1 Billion Irma Hit," 20 Sep. 2017
Even then, Wisconsin’s flimsy strength of schedule could be an issue.

— paul myerberg, USA TODAY, "Played in/Played out: Oklahoma makes case for Playoff; Ohio State's case closed," 5 Nov. 2017
Explanations have drawn on culture (the self-discipline of Confucianism), history (memories of privation) and public policy (flimsy social safety-nets forcing people to save).

— The Economist, "Mutable valuesAsian households binge on debt," 2 Nov. 2017
The Universal UR10 robot's task is both simple and repetitive: pick up flimsy insulation pads known as shoddy; transfer them to a machine to be inserted into a door panel; then move the panel to a human worker for inspection.

— matthew dolan, Detroit Free Press, "Rise of the machines: More robots on assembly lines; workers worry they will threaten jobs," 29 Oct. 2017
The sauce comes in a container with a tear-off top, which is mostly fine, except that the container is flimsy, which can result in spillage—which, however Special the Special Garlic Dipping Sauce may be, is a decidedly suboptimal situation.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "Papa John's, Reviewed," 3 Nov. 2017
The government has blocked U.N. agencies and international aid organizations from delivering aid to the camps for weeks and the Rohingya living in flimsy bamboo shelters are growing more desperate by the day.

— Washington Post, "Cattle from abandoned Rohingya villages sold to displaced," 27 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flimsy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.