as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
the assistant's job was to shield the president from such footling problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dawdling
to spend time doing nothing
spent the morning footling about while others were working
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of footling
Barton Swaim, WSJ, 21 June 2019
Adjective
By comparison with previous Establishment Clause cases, however, this lawsuit looked footling and rather mean.
—Barton Swaim, WSJ, 21 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footling
Adjective
-
Drake sought nominal, compensatory, and punitive damages, plus legal fees.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
-
However, at least 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are in debt distress or at high risk of distress, the World Bank’s recent assessment noted, with public debt in nominal terms and as a share of GDP nearly doubling over the last decade.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Patrick addressed the tension between his team and the Lions after the game, taking a slight jab at the way Detroit behaves on the field.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
In more recent trading, there was a slight recovery that brought values back over 65 cents.—
SJ Guest Editorial,
Sourcing Journal,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Within a few moments, an antlerless deer emerged, loafing along toward Ronnie, completely unalarmed.—
Jim Moore,
Outdoor Life,
8 Oct. 2025
-
She is seen going over the shots planned for the next day and remembering that some loafing around is planned.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
-
Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Patricia Cohen,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2020
Verb
-
Viewers were able to see the canine strolling along with their owner while on leash, before coming across the large decorative corpse bride.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
At this particular Publix supermarket, shoppers can push carts with cupholders, sip a craft beer or mimosa and grab a slice of pizza while strolling the aisles.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Who among us hasn’t fantasized in the shower about exacting elaborate revenge for petty upsets, or lain awake trying to reframe our humiliations as epic tales of triumph?—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Strahinja Jokic, 43, was sentenced to a year of probation on the misdemeanor and petty offenses, according to the Denver district attorney’s office.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Shopkeepers lightheartedly gossip in rich drawling accents, and pickup trucks make up the majority of the vehicles idling at one of the few stoplights in town.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
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The filtration system must be robust enough to perform under stop-and-go driving, prolonged idling and urban pollution while also remaining effective between filter replacements.—
Anan Bishara,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Footling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footling. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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