as in minor
lacking importance
you should delegate these fiddling matters to your staff so that you can focus on more important issues
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fidgeting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements
the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheating
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
conscienceless grifters who had spent their lives fiddling the naive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of fiddling
Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2026
As the options for facial fiddling have become more accessible, the face is increasingly regarded as an image to be perfected.
—Valerie Monroe, Allure, 15 Jan. 2026
For those deep in the Apple ecosystem who want headphones that just work without all the fiddling, the Beats Solo 4 make sense with a 25% discount.
—PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2025
Now scientists have found that, with a little fiddling, the feathers can be adjusted to turn flashes of light into laser beams.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 5 Aug. 2025
The fiddling pays off when the fresh herb vinaigrette dresses a mix of Iceberg lettuce and one of the mixed greens combos sold in the marketplace.
—Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 13 Jan. 2025
Such is always the case with this sort of self-interested fiddling.
—Eric Gordy, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018
That means they’re perfectly aligned from the get-go, with no need for after-the-fact fiddling.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Nov. 2016
Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 9 Mar. 2026
But in private, Arthur advises her to exercise a little more discretion in her, um, fiddling.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
The party that fails this test will be remembered — if at all — as the one fiddling while Rome was automated.
—Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
Haggard was fiddling on the new strings when Marian, Dad’s mother, who’d taken over as the store’s bookkeeper, walked by.
—Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
But the mayor’s dramatic tale of his predecessor’s fiscal fiddling was designed with a clear political agenda in mind: both to underline the magnitude of the problem and to identify the villains responsible for this perfidy.
—Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2026
As the options for facial fiddling have become more accessible, the face is increasingly regarded as an image to be perfected.
—Valerie Monroe, Allure, 15 Jan. 2026
For those deep in the Apple ecosystem who want headphones that just work without all the fiddling, the Beats Solo 4 make sense with a 25% discount.
—PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2025
Now scientists have found that, with a little fiddling, the feathers can be adjusted to turn flashes of light into laser beams.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 5 Aug. 2025
The fiddling pays off when the fresh herb vinaigrette dresses a mix of Iceberg lettuce and one of the mixed greens combos sold in the marketplace.
—Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 13 Jan. 2025
Such is always the case with this sort of self-interested fiddling.
—Eric Gordy, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018
That means they’re perfectly aligned from the get-go, with no need for after-the-fact fiddling.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Nov. 2016
Verb
But none of these tracks really explore their ideas as much as just fiddling in place, with any initial energy fizzling out almost immediately.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 9 Mar. 2026
But in private, Arthur advises her to exercise a little more discretion in her, um, fiddling.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
The party that fails this test will be remembered — if at all — as the one fiddling while Rome was automated.
—Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
Haggard was fiddling on the new strings when Marian, Dad’s mother, who’d taken over as the store’s bookkeeper, walked by.
—Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddling
Adjective
-
The woman had minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Leigh Wambsganss, the Republican candidate and a Mercy Culture ally, had become a minor MAGA celebrity, owing to her role in facilitating a far-right takeover of the area’s school boards.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Canines might be stressed and anxious, which can be shown through panting, whining, barking, pacing or fidgeting.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Nov. 2025
-
That fit may cut down on mid-session fidgeting during a video call or while answering a quick text.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Behind them a young man with a paint-flecked beard followed the designer about the set, twitching the hem of the velvet curtains hung at the window and rearranging the ornaments on the mantelpiece.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Levy brought the dog in dead and claimed that that the dog had a seizure and was vomiting, choking and twitching before his death.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The incident came a couple of weeks after the sport was in the headlines during the Olympics as the Canadian team was accused of cheating.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Billionaire Ronald Burkle is suing political power-broker Darius Anderson, accusing his former protégé and friend of cheating him out of millions of dollars.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Modern warfare has shown that traditional radar systems often struggle to identify and monitor many small drones flying together.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Adjust a subscription or renegotiate a small fee, then record the change, because tracking progress reinforces confidence and protects your careful planning.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cornhole toss Set up the sturdy cornhole boards and get to tossing the eight all-weather regulation bean bags.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
So was Korea’s top pitcher in pool play, tossing five innings of one-run ball over two appearances (one start).—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The lady beetles emerging in spring actually entered your home in the fall, squeezing through small cracks to overwinter inside walls, attics, and other sheltered spaces.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Equipped with a deep high-rise waistband featuring internal power mesh, Icebreaker has engineered these leggings to provide a bit of extra compression without over-squeezing.—
Harry Spampinato,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fiddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddling. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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