trivia

¹ American  

[triv-ee-uh] / ˈtrɪv i ə /

plural noun

1. matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.

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Trivia ² American  

[triv-ee-uh] / ˈtrɪv i ə /

noun

1. (in Roman religion) Diana: so called because she was the goddess of three-way crossroads and also because she was regarded as a deity with three personae.

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trivia British  

/ ˈtrɪvɪə /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) petty details or considerations; trifles; trivialities

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Etymology

Origin of trivia¹

1900–05; pseudo-Latin trivia (neuter plural), taken as the base of trivial

Origin of Trivia²

First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin, feminine of trivius (adj.), derivative of trivium “place where three roads meet,” equivalent to tri- tri- + -vium, derivative of via “way, road”

Example Sentences

The question seemed designed to stump even the person who wrote the episode, not to mention the obsessives competing in the recent “Seinfeld” trivia competition in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the pub trivia night was fun, even though I bombed with British topics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Like her blog, her book takes discrete pieces of information—biographical details, scientific trivia, “on this day” connections between disparate discoveries and figures—and elicits from them a narrative.

From The Wall Street Journal

Paul Gervase is more than just the answer to a trivia question.

From Los Angeles Times

Kate Movius moved among a roomful of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, passing out a pop trivia quiz and paper prism glasses.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• memorabilia
• minutiae