as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
there's only a piddly difference in price between the two paintings, so take whichever you prefer
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piddly
This stole the top spot from 1993, with its piddly 76 days over 100.
—
Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024
This stole the top spot from 1993, with its piddly 76 days over 100.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024
Adding an additional 23,000 km is really a piddly amount.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2010
Online savings accounts have proliferated in recent years, offering higher yields than the piddly rates attached to ordinary savings accounts, which are less than 0.1%, on average.
—Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
Byrne is still a United States congressman and that’s no piddly thing.
—Kyle Whitmire, al, 7 Nov. 2019
This information isn't written in the controller's piddly instruction manual.
—Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2018
After Kilauea's 1924 summit explosions, the volcano entered a decade of piddly rumblings, followed by 18 years of silence.
—Sophia Yan and Malcolm Ritter, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2018
But sometimes self-denial is its own form of power, as you are no doubt noticing, crammed into that piddly apartment.
—Helaine Olen, Slate Magazine, 25 Jan. 2017
Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024
This stole the top spot from 1993, with its piddly 76 days over 100.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024
Adding an additional 23,000 km is really a piddly amount.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2010
Online savings accounts have proliferated in recent years, offering higher yields than the piddly rates attached to ordinary savings accounts, which are less than 0.1%, on average.
—Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
Byrne is still a United States congressman and that’s no piddly thing.
—Kyle Whitmire, al, 7 Nov. 2019
This information isn't written in the controller's piddly instruction manual.
—Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2018
After Kilauea's 1924 summit explosions, the volcano entered a decade of piddly rumblings, followed by 18 years of silence.
—Sophia Yan and Malcolm Ritter, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2018
But sometimes self-denial is its own form of power, as you are no doubt noticing, crammed into that piddly apartment.
—Helaine Olen, Slate Magazine, 25 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piddly
Adjective
-
Some combination of bad staff work and bad judgment on her part led Whitmer to be used as a political prop who lent some nominal bipartisanship to an episode that Democrats would very much like Trump to have sole ownership of.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders are nominal political outsiders, regular critics of the Democratic establishment and proud progressives who are beloved by leftwing base voters — qualities that have advantages in today’s political environment.—
David M. Drucker,
Boston Herald,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The rear camera's OIS yields mostly smooth video, but there's some slight bumpiness here and there.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Dawn came on chilly with a slight overcast and a light breeze.—
Jeffrey A. Brunk,
Outdoor Life,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Known for: Its tiny colorful bags, like Le Bisou, Mini Chiquito, and Bambino.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
10 Apr. 2025
-
With packaging like a tiny liquid liner, the semi-sheer formula applies easily onto skin—for an extra natural look, gently tap on your faux freckle dots then blend out with your fingers or a small brush.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Image In Davao, Mr. Duterte remains widely popular, remembered for cracking down on problems like drugs, petty crime and violence.—
Aie Balagtas See,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Where Hub once pursued petty criminals, he’s now charged with rounding up escaped demons by the Devil himself.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
-
Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Patricia Cohen,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2020
Adjective
-
Even if the missing evidence is insignificant or duplicative, the prosecutor’s prior statement of readiness is invalidated, the clock is considered to have never stopped, and in many cases has by then run out, and the case is dismissed.—
Mimi Rocah,
New York Daily News,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Turkish drone losses in the Middle East in recent months were not insignificant, especially considering the losses spanned at least four indigenous drone types.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This trivial annoyance reminded me of several things.—
Nate Anderson,
Ars Technica,
22 Mar. 2025
-
From trivial to tragic There have been previous Facebook defectors, but none as high-ranking as Wynn-Williams.—
Michelle Goldberg,
The Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Also, the state mandates free and reduced fares of $150 million annually but provides a paltry reimbursement of $20 million.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
-
This is one of the few times Samsung isn’t running an enhanced trade-in price promotion for its Galaxy S25, with the Note 20 Ultra fetching a paltry $180 and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra being valued at $155.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piddly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piddly. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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