frivolous
adj.not having any serious purpose or value. You use this to describe things that are silly or a waste of time when you should be serious.
adj.lacking any serious purpose, value, or necessity. In legal contexts, refers to claims or actions brought without any reasonable basis in fact or law.
“She spent her money on frivolous things.”
“The judge dismissed the case immediately, calling it a frivolous lawsuit intended only to waste the court's time.”
“While the initial complaint seemed frivolous to the public, the subsequent investigation revealed a systemic failure that warranted a serious legal review of the company's safety protocols.”
Often used to modify nouns like 'lawsuit', 'claim', 'expense', or 'behavior'.
“Earlier on Monday, US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau alleged on X that the American immigration system “has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims”.”
“Splashing water by the river amounts to a frivolous invitation to play.”
From Latin frīvolus (“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”), with the ending modified to match -ous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.