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
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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
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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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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
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Don’t skip the killer desserts, revered by locals, which include the beloved trifle known as somlói, as well as diós nudli, a.k.a.—
Evan Rail,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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Light-bodied and easy to drink, it’s got all the hallmarks of a classic grain whisky, but with a flavor profile that’s big and layered enough to satisfy the most picayune of single-malt snobs.—
Tony Sachs,
Forbes,
30 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Bagatelle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bagatelle. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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