trivial

[ triv-ee-uhl ]

adjective

1. of very little importance or value; insignificant:

   Don't bother me with trivial matters.

   Synonyms: unimportant, trifling, frivolous, inconsequential, immaterial, slight, nugatory

   Antonyms: important

2. commonplace; ordinary.
3. Biology. (of names of organisms) specific, as distinguished from generic.
4. Mathematics.
   1. noting a solution of an equation in which the value of every variable of the equation is equal to zero.
   2. (of a theorem, proof, or the like) simple, transparent, or immediately evident.
5. Chemistry. (of names of chemical compounds) derived from the natural source, or of historic origin, and not according to the systematic nomenclature:

   Picric acid is the trivial name of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol.

trivial

/ ˈtrɪvɪəl /

adjective

1. of little importance; petty or frivolous

   trivial complaints

2. ordinary or commonplace; trite

   trivial conversation

3. maths (of the solutions of a set of homogeneous equations) having zero values for all the variables
4. biology denoting the specific name of an organism in binomial nomenclature
5. biology chem denoting the popular name of an organism or substance, as opposed to the scientific one
6. of or relating to the trivium

Derived Forms

• ˈtrivially, adverb
• ˈtrivialness, noun

Other Words From

• trivi·al·ly adverb
• super·trivi·al adjective
• un·trivi·al adjective
• un·trivi·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of trivial¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin triviālis “belonging to the crossroads or street corner,” hence “commonplace,” equivalent to tri- “three” + vi(a) “road” + -ālis adjective suffix; tri-, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of trivial¹

C15: from Latin triviālis belonging to the public streets, common, from trivium crossroads, junction of three roads, from tri- + via road

Synonym Study

See petty.

Example Sentences

Despite this, the Western ideology that dominates Canadian laws has often considered Indigenous people’s impact on some of this land to be trivial, and so discounts their land rights.

From Science Magazine

Some are trivial and others are more weighty.

From Salon

"Further, our members are adults. They do not need to be given instructions by the media about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery or underpants."

From BBC

The Club 27 myth may seem trivial, but in the age of Wikipedia, it is valuable because it can be analyzed with data.

From Los Angeles Times

What he found is that “the kinds of things that do make you happy, whether trivial or profound, will still be operative when you’re stressed about something else.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• commonplace
• frivolous
• immaterial
• incidental
• inconsequential
• insignificant
• irrelevant
• meaningless
• minor
• negligible
• paltry
• petty
• superficial
• trite
• unimportant