bagatelle
noun
bag·a·telle
ˌba-gə-ˈtel 
1
2
: any of various games involving the rolling of balls into scoring areas
3
: a short literary or musical piece in light style
Examples of bagatelle in a Sentence
the question of who will pick up the coffee is a mere bagatelle in the overall planning of the conference
Recent Examples on the Web
Pinball is back Pinball got its start in 18th-century France with the billiardslike tabletop game bagatelle, which used a springlike launcher.
—
San Antonio Express-News, 5 Mar. 2020
Overall this novel is an entertaining bagatelle, told by a proficient storyteller in an engaging way.
—David Shribman, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2019
Lewis kept the scope of emotion in the first bagatelle more along the lines of concerned.
—Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 11 May 2018
As far as performance marathons go, the 10 hours of John Zorn’s bagatelles on Saturday at National Sawdust in Brooklyn may not have been the most sprawling.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2016
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
San Antonio Express-News, 5 Mar. 2020
Overall this novel is an entertaining bagatelle, told by a proficient storyteller in an engaging way.
—David Shribman, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2019
Lewis kept the scope of emotion in the first bagatelle more along the lines of concerned.
—Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 11 May 2018
As far as performance marathons go, the 10 hours of John Zorn’s bagatelles on Saturday at National Sawdust in Brooklyn may not have been the most sprawling.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Bagatelle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bagatelle. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share