as in nothing
something of little importance
the question of who will pick up the coffee is a mere bagatelle in the overall planning of the conference
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bagatelle
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bagatelle
Noun
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My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
16 Dec. 2024
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The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
Never issue false assurances, but don’t dwell on trivialities either.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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But those details are mere trivialities to the chefs who have turned their love for Rangoons into mozzarella sticks, pasta, melts and more.—
Mehr Singh,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The planet will be just a trifle dimmer than the star but their proximity intensifies the orange-yellow of Mars and the blue-white of Regulus.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
16 May 2025
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But Willard’s point is that a coach at one of the nation’s top programs should not have to sweat such trifles.—
Childs Walker,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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His credulity led to misadventures the details of which are so picayune that Chernow’s emphasis on them can be maddening.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
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Observers believe a flood of intervention into D.C. laws — from the sweeping to the picayune — is more likely than a total revocation of home rule (though there is a longshot bill for that, too).—
Cuneyt Dil,
Axios,
18 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Bagatelle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bagatelle. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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