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
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
Saturday Fiddle Contest: 11 a.m. at Alyeska Pipeline Colony Stage
Grab your fiddle and play a tune or just check out some of the state’s best sawing on their instruments in a number of categories, including youth, teen, open and twin fiddling.
—Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2023
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
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
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
Saturday Fiddle Contest: 11 a.m. at Alyeska Pipeline Colony Stage
Grab your fiddle and play a tune or just check out some of the state’s best sawing on their instruments in a number of categories, including youth, teen, open and twin fiddling.
—Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2023
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 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
-
He was convicted eight years earlier of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The mountains are expected to see minor snowfall going into next week for areas with elevation above 3,000 feet.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
Updated February 20,
Sacbee.com,
21 Feb. 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
-
The film uses music, the clippity-clop of hooves and twitching furry ears for her three donkeys — Palaye, Ruperto, Palomo — to surf critical acclaim on the film festival circuit to the upcoming Academy Awards.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But the Missouri was always a wild river twitching its bed from side to side across its flood plain.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Swedish team accused Canada of cheating, specifically reporting that Canada’s Marc Kennedy was illegally touching his stone.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The state has intervened in districts for reasons such as fiscal mismanagement, cheating scandals and consistently failing academic performance at a campus.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But the proposal would only actually impact a small few — billionaires.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The first call for help was a silent text message from an emergency beacon, mobilizing a small army of rescuers dispatched from different directions.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 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
-
The atmosphere at Guard and Grace Guard and his team scanned cities nationwide for the right spot to open the next Guard and Grace, eventually tossing aside Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Nashville and Miami in favor of Charlotte.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
-
To add more nuts to your diet, try tossing them in fruit bowls, salads, oatmeal, and more.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The fall was aided by the cooling prices of gasoline, eggs, and beef, but rising costs for consumer goods like apparel, computers, and airfares suggest tariffs are still squeezing household budgets.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, 2026 is about building both stylish and sensible outfits that can take you from the airport to the streets with maximum versatility without ever squeezing into tight, form-fitting fabric.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fiddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddling. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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