1
as in minor
lacking importance
deciding what you want to do for a living is no trifling matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
trifling differences between the theatrical and DVD versions of the movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in flirting
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in playing
to spend time in aimless activity
spent a lazy afternoon trifling on the front porch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of trifling
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
Aside from bacteria, the smallest genome belongs to the intestinal parasite Encephalitozoon intestinalis, with a trifling 2.3 billion base pairs.
—Kirsten Weir, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2011
Growing immunity against the coronavirus, repeatedly reinforced by vaccines and infections, could eventually tame COVID into a sickness as trifling as the common cold or, at worst, one on par with the seasonal flu.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2022
Specific as Ozon’s approach here may be (nothing feels accidental or arbitrary), his lovingly made curio, which often borrows verbatim from its predecessor, comes off a bit tired and trifling.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Bonus: these tweets are usually about the most trifling and hilarious pop culture moments, so ... win win!
—Danielle Young, The Root, 2 June 2017
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
Aside from bacteria, the smallest genome belongs to the intestinal parasite Encephalitozoon intestinalis, with a trifling 2.3 billion base pairs.
—Kirsten Weir, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2011
Growing immunity against the coronavirus, repeatedly reinforced by vaccines and infections, could eventually tame COVID into a sickness as trifling as the common cold or, at worst, one on par with the seasonal flu.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2022
Specific as Ozon’s approach here may be (nothing feels accidental or arbitrary), his lovingly made curio, which often borrows verbatim from its predecessor, comes off a bit tired and trifling.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Bonus: these tweets are usually about the most trifling and hilarious pop culture moments, so ... win win!
—Danielle Young, The Root, 2 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trifling
Adjective
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Apotheke x Sanctuary Retrograde Candle The person who blames Mercury retrograde for every minor inconvenience (raises hand) needs this candle.Sara Coughlin, SELF, 3 Dec. 2024
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Having a robust set of cybersecurity tools can be the difference between a minor security incident and a full-scale breach.Francis Dinha, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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
Verb
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Looking beyond those guideposts meant flirting with danger — at risk of becoming untethered and lost.Rebekah Pahl, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
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Posen went to Los Angeles, flirting with the idea of working in Hollywood.Irina Aleksander, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Sasaki knew that attempting to expedite his dream of playing in the major leagues would cost him an enormous amount of public goodwill.Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
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Some fans say folk purists were booing because Dylan was playing electric, while others say the ruckus was merely over the distorted sound.Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Black bears are the smallest of the North American bears.Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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Movies about straight relationships are able to run both stars as leads, while movies about gay romance must shunt half the central couple down to supporting, which arguably results in a smaller awards-season profile.Nate Jones, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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Assad retained nominal control of much of the country with Russian, Iranian and Hezbollah assistance.Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Tens of thousands of social media users mocked the death of the health insurance CEO and showed little sympathy after the killing.Holly Yan, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
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Half the fun of making these little sweets is unwrapping the mini chocolates.Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Spies have to deal with petty office politics like everyone else!Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Dec. 2024
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Speaking of petty, the W has embraced tension for its opening weekend by scheduling the first game between Chicago and Indiana, as well as the New York Liberty raising its championship banner before playing the Aces on May 17.Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 2 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near trifling
Cite this Entry
“Trifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifling. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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