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Synonyms

fiddling

American  
[fid-ling] / ˈfɪd lɪŋ /

adjective

  1. trifling; trivial.

    a fiddling sum of money.
fiddling British  
/ ˈfɪdlɪŋ /

adjective

  1. trifling or insignificant; petty

  2. another word for fiddly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fiddling

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at fiddle, -ing 2

Vocabulary lists containing fiddling

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Neville is skeptical that businesses will be fiddling around with AI products to create their own cybersecurity.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

The ongoing injuries have left Musselman to continue fiddling with his lineup in search of answers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

Researchers quietly work away, fiddling with parts of the machine.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

Updike stuck up for himself when faced with the magazine’s intrusively correct fiddling: In 1958 he sent one editor, William Maxwell, an unwavering paragraph against a single word.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

After restraining himself for half an hour, Peter asked somewhat irritably if he would stop fiddling with the radio.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.