1
as in petty
not broad or open in views or opinions
the picayune ponderings of a commentator who steadfastly believes other cultures are inferior to our own
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
irritatingly picayune complaints
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nothing
something of little importance
our lives don't amount to a picayune in the great scheme of things
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of picayune
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2012
But only a fool would harp on picayune flaws when this rich material is being served with such musical polish and sensitivity.
—Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022
Challenging ballot designations has become something of a sport in California politics — squabbles over the occasionally picayune rules return each cycle like the swallows to Capistrano.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2022
What would normally be regarded as an investigation that has reached the level of pursuing such picayune matters that it should be concluded, may to him or her be an investigation that ought to go on for another year.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 13 Mar. 2022
There are at least two explanations: One is that the violations are so picayune as to expose a petty scheme to dump the executive.
—Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2022
This was the Britain—still very imperial yet so very picayune—to which Mr. Sen, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in economics, had come to study.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
Vance’s investigation, which appears to be focussed largely on business practices that Trump engaged in before taking office, may seem picayune in comparison with the outrageous offenses to democratic norms that Trump committed as President.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2021
But after months of family quarantine, combined with the confusion and exasperation of school-Zoom days, more of our wind-down reading sessions have involved the sureness of facts — picayune details about dogs and skyscrapers and coral reefs.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020
Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 18 July 2024
Light-bodied and easy to drink, it’s got all the hallmarks of a classic grain whisky, but with a flavor profile that’s big and layered enough to satisfy the most picayune of single-malt snobs.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The show has always dwelled in the picayune at times, but these and so many other moments feel like attempts to find the fight, to gin something up.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 July 2023
Adjective
At this point you may be exhausted by the exploration of picayune facts.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2012
But only a fool would harp on picayune flaws when this rich material is being served with such musical polish and sensitivity.
—Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022
Challenging ballot designations has become something of a sport in California politics — squabbles over the occasionally picayune rules return each cycle like the swallows to Capistrano.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2022
What would normally be regarded as an investigation that has reached the level of pursuing such picayune matters that it should be concluded, may to him or her be an investigation that ought to go on for another year.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 13 Mar. 2022
There are at least two explanations: One is that the violations are so picayune as to expose a petty scheme to dump the executive.
—Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2022
This was the Britain—still very imperial yet so very picayune—to which Mr. Sen, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in economics, had come to study.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
Vance’s investigation, which appears to be focussed largely on business practices that Trump engaged in before taking office, may seem picayune in comparison with the outrageous offenses to democratic norms that Trump committed as President.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2021
But after months of family quarantine, combined with the confusion and exasperation of school-Zoom days, more of our wind-down reading sessions have involved the sureness of facts — picayune details about dogs and skyscrapers and coral reefs.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020
Noun
Observers believe a flood of intervention into D.C. laws — from the sweeping to the picayune — is more likely than a total revocation of home rule (though there is a longshot bill for that, too).
—Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 18 July 2024
Light-bodied and easy to drink, it’s got all the hallmarks of a classic grain whisky, but with a flavor profile that’s big and layered enough to satisfy the most picayune of single-malt snobs.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The show has always dwelled in the picayune at times, but these and so many other moments feel like attempts to find the fight, to gin something up.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picayune
Adjective
-
The professor said the groups committed crimes, but their offenses were relatively petty by today’s standards: brawling and shakedowns of non-gang members for their bikes or lunch money.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
-
With the wave of a hand—or, to be more precise, the tapping of a few overnight posts on social media—American political horizons are being remade in ways that are petty and absurd.—
Penny Abeywardena,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Howe used four different left-backs last term, mainly fielding Dan Burn there (a nominal centre-back at 6ft 7in/201cm), while Newcastle were the most one-sided team in the league for crosses — over 60 per cent came from the right.—
Liam Tharme,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Out of all of the foreign investment sources that have pumped cash into South Florida real estate, financial institutions, and new businesses over the years, Saudi Arabia is a nation that at best has a nominal presence in the region.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
16 Dec. 2024
-
The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2024
Adjective
-
The gigs in smaller rooms than Simon has typically played, will allow the singer to perform the songs from Seven Psalms live for the first time.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Hang it in a small bathroom for over-the-toilet storage or in the laundry room for detergent and stain removers—this versatile cabinet can do it all.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
While some areas are seeing increases, others are experiencing stability or even slight declines, as the bulk of the seasonal transition has yet to significantly impact gasoline prices— certainly good news for motorists.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2025
-
But if Maxey asserts himself as a nightly threat to erupt for 25-plus points, Embiid could take a slight step back on offense next season.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In other words, no drugs, alcohol abuse, tardiness, triviality, egocentricity.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2025
-
The opportunity to investigate that with the body cam footage and see the triviality of the conflict.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
This may seem like an impossible task in a world where politics is becoming more divisive, foreign policy more parochial, and social media bubbles more impenetrable.—
Harvey Whitehouse,
WIRED,
23 Jan. 2025
-
For more than a century, religious education had been deeply entrenched in the state; in Cleveland, the parochial system was one of the largest in the country.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
So that seems to apply even to sports, something that seems kind of trivial.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
9 Feb. 2025
-
Identifying whether a stock will rise or fall and when that move will happen are not trivial questions.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Picayune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picayune. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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