trivial

adjective triv·i·al \ ˈtri-vē-əl \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Definition of trivial

1 a : of little worth or importance

a trivial objection

trivial problems

b : relating to or being the mathematically simplest case; specifically : characterized by having all variables equal to zero

a trivial solution to a linear equation

2 : commonplace, ordinary

3 : specific 4

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trivialist

play \ˈtri-vē-ə-list\ noun

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trivially

play \ˈtri-vē-ə-lē\ adverb

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Examples of trivial in a Sentence

His later memory, untutored and unsupported by anything so trivial as evidence or documents, now flourished and ran wild. —Muriel Spark, Curriculum Vitae, (1992) 1993
I had never heard anyone speak of their parents in this way; I never even knew you could make them seem trivial … —Jamaica Kincaid, Lucy, 1990
But the last tribute was to be a struggle among states for possession of the trivial remains of a man who in life had known as much revilement as honor. —Robert Penn Warren, Jefferson Davis Gets His Citizenship Back, 1980
statistics and other trivial matters
a trivial sum of money
Compared to her problems, our problems seem trivial.

Recent Examples of trivial from the Web

More: Pentagon bases about 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea The paperwork for ending a war that hasn't been fought since 1953 may seem trivial when compared to the present day threat of nuclear weapons.

— david jackson, USA TODAY, "Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un: Still fighting the Korean War," 5 June 2018
On the scale of loss, this was perhaps a trivial thing.

— Vogue, "Picking Up the Pieces as a Newly Single Mother," 13 May 2018
Speaking of Trump, there was the usual — and deserved — online grumbling over why the president tweets about so many trivial things but refused to acknowledge the pain of this hate crime in the American Heartland.

— will bunch, Philly.com, "Waffle House tragedy shows us how to curb mass killings. Will anyone listen? | Will Bunch," 24 Apr. 2018
The allegations of luxury travel, a sweetheart housing deal with a lobbyist, and Pruitt’s use of a loophole to get raises for two close aides aren’t trivial.

— umair irfan, Vox, "Every legal and ethical investigation into the EPA’s Scott Pruitt we know of so far," 12 Apr. 2018
Together, the two companies can ship millions of types of goods globally from a handful of distribution centers, overnight on a consumer’s whim, often for completely trivial reasons.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Lack of Spare Parts Is Keeping F-35s on the Ground," 14 Mar. 2018
In the 1980s, the gay community's anguished response to the AIDS crisis made the insular hedonism of Crowley's characters seem trivial.

— david rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Boys in the Band': Theater Review," 1 June 2018
Although seeming somewhat trivial on any other day, the Iranian regime could not be seen to be offering conformity to the USA nor seem the weaker of the two parties, although the governing body's rulings would have provided a suitable excuse.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 5 Weeks to Go - USA vs Iran, the Most Politically Charged Game in WC History," 21 May 2018
To see how trivial Iran is for oil, note 2012 to 2016, when Western sanctions blocked Iranian oil exports to America and Europe.

— ken fisher, USA TODAY, "Why rising gas prices won't last, even after Trump ends Iran nuclear deal," 20 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trivial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Trivial comes from a Latin word meaning "crossroads"—that is, where three roads come together. Since a crossroads is a very public place where all kinds of people might show up, trivialis came to mean "commonplace" or "vulgar". Today the English word has changed slightly in meaning and instead usually describes something barely worth mentioning. Mathematicians use the word to refer to some part of a proof or definition that's extremely simple and needn't be explained, but the rest of us tend to use it just to mean "unimportant". "Small talk" at a party, for example, is usually trivial conversation, though a trivial excuse for not going on a date ("I have to wash my hair") might hide an emotion that isn't so trivial ("I can't stand the sight of you"). To trivialize something is to treat it as if it didn't matter, as if it were just another triviality.