pittance
noun
pit·tance
ˈpi-tᵊn(t)s 
: a small portion, amount, or allowance
also
: a meager wage or remuneration
Did you know?
It's a pity when you haven't anything but a pittance. And in fact, pity and pittance share etymological roots. The Middle English word pittance came from Anglo-French pitance, meaning "pity" or "piety." Originally, a pittance was a gift or bequest to a religious community, or a small charitable gift. Ultimately, the word comes from the Latin pietas, meaning "piety" or "compassion." Our words pity and piety come from pietas as well.
Synonyms
Examples of pittance in a Sentence
the internship offers only a pittance for a salary, but it is a great opportunity to gain experience
Recent Examples on the Web
They were forced to abandon their homes and possessions or sell them for a pittance, and to relocate to makeshift facilities in harsh conditions.
—
Aruna D’souza, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Yet their features, made for a pittance — Flow cost $3.8 million, Memoir of a Snail $4.5 million — are two of hottest contenders in this season’s awards race, facing off against such big-budget juggernauts as Pixar’s $200 million Inside Out 2 and the deep pockets of the studio marketing machines.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
The idea is that the tribe would only be taxed on the selling price, a pittance compared to the land’s current value.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024
By comparison, a pittance is seemingly paid to how Waymo is a literal vehicle for empowerment because, stripped to the core, to ignore what disabled people think shows mostly nobody cares about how the disability community lives their lives and, by extension, uses technology.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
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Aruna D’souza, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Yet their features, made for a pittance — Flow cost $3.8 million, Memoir of a Snail $4.5 million — are two of hottest contenders in this season’s awards race, facing off against such big-budget juggernauts as Pixar’s $200 million Inside Out 2 and the deep pockets of the studio marketing machines.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
The idea is that the tribe would only be taxed on the selling price, a pittance compared to the land’s current value.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024
By comparison, a pittance is seemingly paid to how Waymo is a literal vehicle for empowerment because, stripped to the core, to ignore what disabled people think shows mostly nobody cares about how the disability community lives their lives and, by extension, uses technology.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pittance
Dictionary Entries Near pittance
Cite this Entry
“Pittance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pittance. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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pittance
noun
pit·tance
ˈpit-ᵊn(t)s
: a small portion, amount, or allowance especially of money
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