Maureen Dowd

As blue chips turn into penny stocks, Wall Street seems less like a symbol of America's macho capitalism and more like that famous Jane Austen character Mrs. Bennet, a flibbertigibbet always anxious about getting richer and her 'poor nerves.

American Journalist

Jerry Saltz

The New York art world readily proves people wrong. Just when folks say that things stink and flibbertigibbet critics wish the worst on us all because we're not pure enough, good omens appear.

American Critic

Originally used for women; implies excessive talking or lack of seriousness.

Gender Specific

May appear in literature or musicals as a quirky, talkative female character.

Cultural Reference

Used playfully, rarely to cause offense but to point out someone's lightheartedness.

Not Insulting

Though less common, can be used for flighty men, focusing on inconsistency.

Non-Gendered Use

Accentuates a person's indecisive or capricious nature, not just talkativeness.

Personality Highlight

Used to be more common; understanding can benefit comprehension of older texts.

Historical Usage

 because there hadn't been much rain lately but when he came to cook the fish into a chowder the wind flicked the flames to nearby dry grass and a fire started and it spread by the time it was done it had burned up more than 300 acres of prime woodland in his own day this young man was passed a gated as the enemy of the environment the Concord Freeman called him a flibbertigibbet

Flibbertigibbet