Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

levity

/ˈlɛ.vɪ.ti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.60 in modern English

Syllables: lev-i-ty
IPA: /ˈlɛ.vɪ.ti/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A lightness of manner or speech, frivolity; flippancy; a lack of appropriate seriousness; an inclination to make a joke of serious matters.

Uncountable

noun

A lack of steadiness.

Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

The state or quality of being light, buoyancy.

Uncountable

noun

A lighthearted or frivolous act.

Countable

Example Sentences

"An attempt to inject a little levity into the proceedings."
"Most of the confidences were unsought - frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation or a hostile levity […]"
"[…]it would really seem as if there was something nomadic in our natures, a principle of levity and restlessness […]"
"Hydrogen […] rises in the air on account of its levity."
"For though it be something wonderful to tell that any should have hearts so hardened, in the midst of such a calamity, as to rob and steal, yet certain it is that all sorts of villainies, and even levities and debaucheries, were then practiced in the town as openly as ever: I will not say quite as frequently, because the number of people were many ways lessened."
"[…] or do the people joy less than common in their levities?""

Etymology

Coined in 1564, from Latin levitās (“lightness, frivolity”), from levis (“lightness (in weight)”). Cognate to lever, and more distantly, light.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈlɛ.vɪ.ti/
British English: /ˈlɛ.vɪ.ti/

Usage

Inflected Forms

levities (plural)

Derived Forms

levitous

Antonyms

gravity

Questions

How do you pronounce levity?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɛ.vɪ.ti/.
What does levity mean?: A lightness of manner or speech, frivolity; flippancy; a lack of appropriate seriousness; an inclination to make a joke of serious matters.
Where does levity come from?: Coined in 1564, from Latin levitās (“lightness, frivolity”), from levis (“lightness (in weight)”). Cognate to lever, and more distantly, light.

How to pronounce levity

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “levity”.
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