1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa
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3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
just some paltry ruse to bilk the system
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4
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
wanted me to sell him my old records for a paltry sum
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paltry
Despite the team’s paltry payroll, Miami outperformed many of the league’s highest spenders during its midseason turnaround.
—
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2025
His second wife, rich and vulgar, is the polar opposite of the first duchess’s distinction, just as Paracelsus’s elegant opacity is a better version of the paltry resident magician and alchemist whom the duke can afford.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Since venturing over to England to perform for Arsenal in 2022, Turner's playing time has been limited to a paltry 17 league matches.
—Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Subtracting his expenditures, his campaign only had about $70,000 cash on hand at the end of June — a paltry amount for a race that will end up costing tens of millions.
—Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2025
His second wife, rich and vulgar, is the polar opposite of the first duchess’s distinction, just as Paracelsus’s elegant opacity is a better version of the paltry resident magician and alchemist whom the duke can afford.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Since venturing over to England to perform for Arsenal in 2022, Turner's playing time has been limited to a paltry 17 league matches.
—Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Subtracting his expenditures, his campaign only had about $70,000 cash on hand at the end of June — a paltry amount for a race that will end up costing tens of millions.
—Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
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Fried wasn’t the only reason the Yankees lost on Sunday, as the Bombers’ bats were pitiful against Jason Alexander.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
10 Aug. 2025
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This negative sentiment was also felt on both sides of the Atlantic, given their pitiful plummet in popularity.—
Brie Stimson , Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Hertz’s 10-month delay in contacting you is unacceptable and likely violates their own policies for handling claims efficiently.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
28 Aug. 2025
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By the federal government’s own standards, USAID’s fire sale is unacceptable.—
Hana Kiros,
The Atlantic,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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What's more, monsters like Alex Jones, the vile conspiracy theorist, claimed the shooting never happened and that the families of the victims were actors.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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This treatment is vile and an affront to our Constitution and our principles of equal protection under the law.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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As California has grappled with the ghost student swarms, officials have debated instituting a nominal fee to add friction to the system of applying.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
23 Aug. 2025
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Yes, the space agency has a nominal landing date in 2027 for the Artemis III mission, but no credible space industry officials believe that date is real.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
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The White House disputes the prediction, arguing the Congressional Budget Office is a poor predictor of outcomes.—
Jessie Opoien,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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While poor earnings could send tech stocks down momentarily, the S&P 500 has yielded returns in most years since its inception.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For most people who contract the virus, symptoms resemble those of a nasty cold and include a runny nose, aches, sore throat, congestion and maybe a fever.—
Beth Warren,
The Tennessean,
23 Aug. 2025
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The 37-year-old plays Emilia Harcourt, an agent from the lack ops squad, A.R.G.U.S., who immediately shows off her skills in the season 2 premiere episode beating up men three times her size in a nasty bar brawl.—
Colleen Kratofil,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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New polling from Data for Progress finds a slight majority of likely voters oppose the president's plan, including 78% of Black Americans.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
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Interestingly, that slight cool-off has come as the recovery has continued.—
Michael Foster,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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