paltry

adjective

pal·​try ˈpȯl-trē 

paltrier; paltriest

1

: inferior, trashy

built paltry houses unfit for occupancy

2

: mean, despicable

a paltry trick

3

: trivial

a paltry excuse

they in their greatness don't have to bother with such paltry restrictions

—Vanessa Feltz

4

: meager, measly

made a paltry donation

Sales have increased by a paltry two percent.

paltriness noun

Did you know?

Before "paltry" was an adjective, it was a noun meaning "trash." That now obsolete noun in turn came from "palt" or "pelt," dialect terms meaning "a piece of coarse cloth," or broadly, "trash." The adjective "paltry" first meant "trashy," but currently has a number of senses, all generally meaning "no good." A "paltry house" might be run-down and unfit for occupancy; a "paltry trick" is a trick that is low-down and dirty; a "paltry excuse" is a trivial one; and a "paltry sum" is small and insufficient.

Synonyms

• cheap
• contemptible
• cruddy
• deplorable
• despicable
• dirty
• grubby
• lame
• lousy
• mean
• nasty
• pitiable
• pitiful
• ratty
• scabby
• scummy
• scurvy
• sneaking
• sorry
• wretched

Examples of paltry in a Sentence

a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired

the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa

Recent Examples on the Web

The team is clearly making moves to rebound from their paltry 5-12 record in 2024. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025

That makes Jupiter's 95 moons look paltry, and our single moon downright embarrassing. —Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2025

Rodgers didn't have a terrible year per se, but the Jets ended the season with a paltry 5-12 record. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025

The Namib desert is thought of as the only true desert in southern Africa due to its limited annual rainfall, a paltry 2-200 milliliters a year. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

obsolete paltry trash, from dialect palt, pelt piece of coarse cloth, trash; akin to Middle Low German palte rag

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

paltry

adjective

pal·​try ˈpȯl-trē 

paltrier; paltriest

1

: petty sense 3, mean

a paltry trick

2

: trivial sense 2, worthless

a paltry sum

paltriness noun