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Showing results for fiddling. Search instead for diddling.
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; fiddle, -ing 2

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

She pauses, fiddling with her red-framed reading glasses.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Take, for example, Parton’s great-grandmother, Tennessee, who kept her home open for “singing, fiddling, and buck dancing.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

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

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

Someone was fiddling with the lock of the door.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

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.