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
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The main question of contemporary cinema isn’t (pace the nominal avant-garde) whether to tell a story but what story to tell, how to tell it, and, for that matter, what a story is.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
20 May 2025
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Here’s why: Although technical specifications are still being worked out, the new standard could deliver nominal peak data rates of more than 40Gbps.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump has enjoyed a slight uptick in favorability, according to a series of mid-May polls compiled by political analyst and statistician Nate Silver.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
-
Add slight tweaks to his pre-pitch charge and compression, Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins said, and Varsho now works above and down to the ball.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
19 May 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
Adjective
-
As a result, defendants in Colorado’s municipal courts can face much longer sentences than those in state court for the same petty offenses, The Denver Post previously found.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
16 May 2025
-
Each encounter brings four options for how to beat that opponent, a prime opportunity to make petty jokes.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Verb
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These include avoiding idling in drive-thru lanes, carpooling, taking public transit or walking, and biking for short trips.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
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What To Know To help reduce ozone formation, residents are encouraged to avoid idling in drive-thru lanes, and instead consider alternatives like sharing a ride or walking in.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Frankly, the more trifling the crime, the better this franchise’s comedy aspirations would work.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 May 2010
Verb
-
Those include a sitting area off the primary bedroom, a dining table on the narrow part of the deck, a patio outfitted for entertaining, and multiple options for lounging by the pool.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2025
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The Modern Family alum could be seen lounging while wearing black bikini bottoms and holding a product from her Toty suncare brand.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
During the war, the U.S. military printed more than a million tiny paperback books for men to carry into battle, called Armed Services Editions.—
Martha Hall Kelly,
People.com,
16 May 2025
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These tiny crystals form in magma and absorb trace amounts of uranium, which decays over time into lead.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Footling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footling. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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