1
as in minor
lacking importance
why spend so much time on trivial decisions, like whether the soda should be regular or diet?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
figured that restaurant customers wouldn't notice such a trivial surcharge on their bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of trivial
The Trump administration has not released details on the layoffs, but the cuts appear to be more than trivial.
—
Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025
If the effortless enslavement of men was the idea, or one of the ideas (and who had a better idea?), why halve your chances by something as trivial as a poor shopping decision?
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Given this, there is no straightforward way to understand what a model is doing on an intuitive level, as from our perspective running inference on a model is nothing more than executing trillions of trivial operations such as addition and multiplication.
—Rahul Gudise, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
And figuring out that amount was not a trivial task.
—Jayson Stewart, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trivial
Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025
If the effortless enslavement of men was the idea, or one of the ideas (and who had a better idea?), why halve your chances by something as trivial as a poor shopping decision?
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Given this, there is no straightforward way to understand what a model is doing on an intuitive level, as from our perspective running inference on a model is nothing more than executing trillions of trivial operations such as addition and multiplication.
—Rahul Gudise, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
And figuring out that amount was not a trivial task.
—Jayson Stewart, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trivial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trivial
Adjective
-
The researchers say that while the brain activity associated with these movements largely remained the same over time, their location within the brain could shift slightly from day to day — and this is why AI, which can automatically adjust for these minor changes — proved key.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Many sparkling water brands, kombucha makers, and craft sodas favor glass bottles for sustainability and quality—but if not manufactured correctly, even minor defects can lead to unexpected breakage.—
Stephanie Gravalese,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Here, again, there were slight differences in the responses when broken down by party affiliation.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Like the inclusion of the new music, the omission of the prince storyline shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying even the slightest attention to the controversies plaguing the production of Snow White for the past few years.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Liberals' smallest lead was in a poll conducted by Innovative Research among 1,548 Canadian citizens, which showed the party with a lead of just 2 points, on 36 percent to the Conservatives' 34 percent—a lead within the poll's 3 percent margin of error.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Retail trade, which includes small and large clothing stores, lost 6,700 jobs, around 5,500 of which were not in department stores.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Here’s why: Although technical specifications are still being worked out, the new standard could deliver nominal peak data rates of more than 40Gbps.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
20 Mar. 2025
-
According to expert estimates, India needs to spend around $100 billion per year, or 2.8% of current nominal GDP, to achieve net-zero power sector emissions by 2070.—
Radhika Kak, independent researcher at Harvard Business School and Varad Pande, partner at BCG,
CNBC,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Besides the fact that it’s scheduled to come out on June 22, 2026, very little is known right now about The Daniels upcoming movie at Universal.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2025
-
One 2019 study from researchers at Florida Gulf Coast University and West Virginia University found little evidence that CDFI funding significantly boosts small business activity.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That sketch, coming just before the episode’s closing performance by Cypress Hill, was the hour’s peak, containing all the promise of petty obsessions afforded airtime in a chorus of besuited actors shouting a monologue as one.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2025
-
This isn’t to say the vigilante trans group in the new world is free of petty catfights.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
To those who don’t yet own an EV, a robust infrastructure may seem unimportant.—
Wally Rippel,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Saying that facts are constructed through social processes is not the same as saying facts are unimportant or made up.—
Jacob Hale Russell,
TIME,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
His drunk mother-in-law, Nan (Jane Curtin), takes too long to share too much insignificant information.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2025
-
No matter how insignificant our individual choices may appear, our choices matter.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trivial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trivial. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share