Vanessa Feltz
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Before paltry was an adjective, it was a noun meaning trash. That now-obsolete noun came from palt or pelt, a dialect term referring to a piece of coarse cloth, or more broadly, to trash. The adjective paltry, which dates to the mid-16th century, originally described things considered worthless, or of very low quality, but it's gained a number of meanings over the centuries, none of which are complimentary. A paltry house might be neglected and unfit for occupancy; a paltry trick is a trick that is low-down and dirty; a paltry excuse is a poor one; and a paltry sum is small and insufficient.
Examples of paltry in a Sentence
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026
But the frequency with which these scams are occurring — spurred by the ease of making and disseminating AI music — suggests scammers aren’t exactly deterred by paltry royalty payouts.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
The paltry paycheck, apparently, didn’t factor at all into her decision.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
In fact, after nearly four years of fighting, Russia controls only a fifth of Ukraine’s territory and has made paltry territorial gains since early in the war — at enormous cost.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paltry. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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paltry
adjective
