trifling

[ trahy-fling ]

adjective

1. of very little importance; trivial; insignificant:

   a trifling matter.

   Synonyms: unimportant, inconsequential, slight

   Antonyms: important

2. of small value, cost, or amount:

   a trifling sum.

   Synonyms: piddling, negligible

3. frivolous; shallow; light:

   trifling conversation.

4. mean; worthless.

noun

1. idle or frivolous conduct, talk, etc.
2. foolish delay or waste of time.

trifling

/ ˈtraɪflɪŋ /

adjective

1. insignificant or petty
2. frivolous or idle

Derived Forms

• ˈtriflingly, adverb
• ˈtriflingness, noun

Other Words From

• trifling·ly adverb
• trifling·ness noun
• un·trifling adjective
• un·trifling·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of trifling¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; trifle, -ing ², -ing ¹

Synonym Study

See petty.

Example Sentences

"A piece about alienation might feel very trifling next to a piece about gun violence in some ways," said Yuval Sharon, who directed the original production.

From Salon

To state the obvious, the big picture is all this is trifling and academic because the government won by a million miles, with a majority of 120.

From BBC

This cavalier treatment of tragic circumstances is of a piece with the entire musical’s approach to the hardships Annie endures—they’re treated as trifling in the face of her new life in the Warbucks mansion.

From Slate

“Whether the special counsel’s office was ‘established by Law’ is not a trifling technicality,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

As one court put it in 1868 while upholding the acquittal of a man who whipped his wife, the judiciary could “not interfere with family government in trifling cases.”

From Slate