paltry

adjective

pal·​try ˈpȯl-trē 

paltrier; paltriest

1

: inferior, trashy

built paltry houses unfit for occupancy

2

: mean, despicable

a paltry trick

3

: trivial

a paltry excuse

they in their greatness don't have to bother with such paltry restrictions

—Vanessa Feltz

4

: meager, measly

made a paltry donation

Sales have increased by a paltry two percent.

paltriness noun

Did you know?

Before paltry was an adjective, it was a noun meaning trash. That now-obsolete noun came from palt or pelt, a dialect term referring to a piece of coarse cloth, or more broadly, to trash. The adjective paltry, which dates to the mid-16th century, originally described things considered worthless, or of very low quality, but it's gained a number of meanings over the centuries, none of which are complimentary. A paltry house might be neglected and unfit for occupancy; a paltry trick is a trick that is low-down and dirty; a paltry excuse is a poor one; and a paltry sum is small and insufficient.

Synonyms of paltry

• pitiful
• lame
• cheap
• wretched
• dirty
• mean
• nasty

Examples of paltry in a Sentence

a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired

the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa

Recent Examples on the Web

To acquire Chancalay, the Loons spent a paltry sum of $100,000 in a cash-for-player trade the day after Christmas. —Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026

On top of the tariff challenges, paltry snowfall in the West has led to less exposure for Wildcoat’s gear. —Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026

The paltry level of retirement savings may also help explain rising poverty among older Americans. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026

Based on the 2022 video game by David Szymanski, Iron Lung takes place far in the future, after an apocalyptic event known as the Quiet Rapture has caused the disappearance of all of the stars, with only a paltry number of humans on space stations left as survivors. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

obsolete paltry trash, from dialect palt, pelt piece of coarse cloth, trash; akin to Middle Low German palte rag

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

paltry

adjective

pal·​try ˈpȯl-trē 

paltrier; paltriest

1

: petty sense 3, mean

a paltry trick

2

: trivial sense 2, worthless

a paltry sum

paltriness noun