piffling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpi-flən How to pronounce piffling (audio)
Definition of pifflingnext
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention from his perspective as a billionaire, what the governor got paid was a piffling amount

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

piffling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of piffle
as in blundering

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffling
  1. nominal
  2. slight
  3. petty
  4. piddling
  5. trifling
  6. tiny
  7. trivial
  8. inconsiderable
Adjective
  • The result of the shift could be a real deal of the century: an abatement of the multipronged conflicts raging in the Middle East, a political horizon and reconstruction for the Palestinians and the Lebanese, and some nominal concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program and regional malfeasance.
    Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Assad retained nominal control of much of the country with Russian, Iranian and Hezbollah assistance.
    Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • Marcello Hernández turns in an excellent performance as Soto, but overall, there is a slight disjointedness to this cold open, even while resurrecting an iconic character.
    Rosa Escandon, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Although the slippers looked nearly identical, a consultant for the Smithsonian analyzed slight differences in the pairs and determined that the ones that were sold on Saturday were in many of the most famous scenes of the movie.
    Hank Sanders, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2024
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • My understanding has always been that the relic trade is loosely tolerated by the powers that be (many of whom have some pretty choice relics of their own), because one of the sneakiest ways authoritarian societies thrive is by letting their subjects get away with petty rebellions.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
  • As our profile lays out, the record reveals Billy Wagner as a blustery, bigger-than-life figure who engaged in petty crime and coached his family to do the same.
    Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Definition of petty
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
Definition of piddling
Adjective
  • And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
  • The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
Definition of trifling
Adjective
  • The rock, ringed with black and marked by distinctive white veins and dozens of tiny bright spots, was discovered as Perseverance explored a quarter-mile-wide valley called Neretva Vallis.
    Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
  • In flash climbing, the first attempt is also the last and even a tiny mistake can prove costly.
    George Ramsay, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • Coined as far back as 1854 by Henry David Thoreau in Walden, the idea of mental deterioration from trivial distractions has never been more relevant.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
  • In Africa, businesses like Abubakar’s keep countless tons of toxic trash out of landfills, reduce the need for mining, and create thousands of jobs—hardly a trivial consideration in a nation where nearly two-thirds of people live in poverty.
    Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024
Definition of trivial
Adjective
  • That pipeline, now at the heart of the NS2 dispute, still carries Russian gas to Germany, yielding between $2 billion and $3 billion in annual transit fees for Ukraine – not an inconsiderable amount for an economy whose total gross domestic product was $154 billion in 2020.
    Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Aug. 2021
  • For even very good students who can afford the not inconsiderable tuition, deciding which campuses to list on the UC application — each costs $70 — is less about personal preference and more about figuring out which one offers any hope of acceptance.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2021
Definition of inconsiderable
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near piffling

piffles

piffling

pig

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Cite this Entry

“Piffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffling. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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