fiddling

1 of 2

adjective

fid·​dling ˈfid-liŋ How to pronounce fiddling (audio)
ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ
: trifling, petty
a fiddling excuse

fiddling

2 of 2

noun

: the act of playing on a fiddle
… Schwarz brings up an orchestra member to do some country fiddlingHeidi Waleson
One of the most compelling qualities of Southern fiddling is the rhythm.Augusta Heritage Center

Examples of fiddling in a Sentence

Adjective you should delegate these fiddling matters to your staff so that you can focus on more important issues
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Saturday Fiddle Contest: 11 a.m. at Alyeska Pipeline Colony Stage Grab your fiddle and play a tune or just check out some of the state’s best sawing on their instruments in a number of categories, including youth, teen, open and twin fiddling. Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2023 Again, no fiddling. Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2020 With more time on her hands, Henderson has been learning improvisation, bluegrass fiddling and improvisation. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2020 This camera snaps great pics on the fly, with just a touch more fiddling required for focus at times, versus say the Pixel 7 Pro. Dave Altavilla, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023 This is consistent with data manipulation, actual fiddling of the results, which is outright fraud - although there are some more benign possibilities. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2014 The satisfactions of this revival of A Man of No Importance are all in that smaller-scale fiddling: both literally, in the sense of a bit of violin-playing onstage, and in a cast of supporting performances all crafted with delicacy. Vulture, 31 Oct. 2022 This week’s event highlights include the sounds of the islands when top Hawaiian musicians play in Hillsboro, as well as Scottish fiddling, Greek dancing, and the opening of a large-scale sculpture exhibit at the Portland Japanese Garden. oregonlive, 28 Sep. 2022 Tickets are $10 to experience the combination of high-energy fiddling, stories, and poems. Naomi Stock, Anchorage Daily News, 3 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fiddling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1652, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiddling was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near fiddling

Cite this Entry

“Fiddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddling. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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