Meaning & use
levity
Last updated
UK/ˈlevəti/
US/ˈlevəti/
Meaning
noununcountable
Light, joking behavior or humor, especially when the situation is serious.
Grammar: Uncountable: a moment of levity.
Patterns
- a moment of levity
- with levity
The speaker added a touch of levity to a tense meeting.
There was little room for levity at the funeral.
His joke brought a moment of levity after the bad news.
Common combinations
- moment of levity
- The clown brought a moment of levity.
- touch of levity
- A touch of levity eased the room.
- comic levity
- The play uses comic levity.
- inappropriate levity
- His levity was inappropriate.
- treat with levity
- Do not treat the matter with levity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- humor
- Humor is the general word for funniness, with no hint of a serious setting.
- frivolity
- Frivolity suggests silliness and lack of seriousness, more critical than levity.
- lightheartedness
- Lightheartedness describes a cheerful mood in general.
- flippancy
- Flippancy is disrespectful lack of seriousness.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: levity or levitation?
levity vs levitation
Levitation is rising into the air; levity is lightness of mood.
Practice
The comedian's joke brought a moment of ____ to an otherwise grim speech.
Choose one answer.
Levity is lightness of mood. Gravity is its opposite; brevity and longevity mean shortness and long life.
Make it your own
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