1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa
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3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
just some paltry ruse to bilk the system
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
wanted me to sell him my old records for a paltry sum
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paltry
Forbes magazine reported that production costs for the latter film ballooned to more than $370 million, but its worldwide gross was a relatively paltry $206 million.
—
René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
The paltry paycheck, apparently, didn’t factor at all into her decision.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
In fact, after nearly four years of fighting, Russia controls only a fifth of Ukraine’s territory and has made paltry territorial gains since early in the war — at enormous cost.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026
In May of 2025, that number fell to a staggering $961,084, while June was an equally paltry $1 million.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paltry
René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
The paltry paycheck, apparently, didn’t factor at all into her decision.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
In fact, after nearly four years of fighting, Russia controls only a fifth of Ukraine’s territory and has made paltry territorial gains since early in the war — at enormous cost.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026
In May of 2025, that number fell to a staggering $961,084, while June was an equally paltry $1 million.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
-
Chilling moments like this are the lifeblood of The Dreamed Adventure, the moments that recall the pitiful last days of the dying communist era and the violent, mafia-style economics that whooshed in to replace them.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
-
There’s a mentality problem — that’s highlighted by a pitiful return of just one point out of a possible 24 away from home this season against teams in the top nine.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
That could include fees for access, which Washington says would be unacceptable.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
-
Speakers at Tuesday’s rally argued this was unacceptable.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The land of the southern hemisphere pulled away from this vile impactor, restructuring itself in the northern hemisphere.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
-
Fleeing Salzburg and his father’s (Jonathan Aris) iron fist and emphasis on perfection, Mozart, armed with his compositions, vile language and impulsivity, is determined to take on the city.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
OnStage in Bedford began performing plays and musicals over 40 years ago in buildings the organization leased from the city for a nominal fee.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
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Unprocessed marijuana typically can fetch more than $600 a pound on the open market, depending on the category, but manufacturers often report to the state’s tracking system unrealistic nominal sales, often as low as a penny or dollar a pound, Lambert said.—
Christopher Osher,
ProPublica,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
By the way, getting excited about a schedule release even on the face of it, without all the pomp and circumstance of social media managers sniffing their own farts, is lame.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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This idea that just sitting with your face buried in your phone when you’re supposed to be in a social setting—that’s lame, right?—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
After wildfires hit Georgia in April 2026 fueled by a rain deficit, high winds and low humidity, — among other causes, per NASA — neighboring states got slammed with poor air quality alerts.—
Ryan Brennan
May 19,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
-
However his attitude on health care and taxes places Newsom at odds with advocates for poor Californians who would be affected and their allies in the Legislature, many of whom want a tax increase.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Those forests were previously home to bats, a natural reservoir for all kinds of nasty viruses.—
Neil Vora,
Time,
22 May 2026
-
Still, his vice president’s now president, and his very, very nasty minister of justice is, some say, the power behind the throne.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
My husband loves that this particular style is infused with a touch of precious metal to give off a slight metallic sheen.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
24 May 2026
-
Hz to 240 Hz, 360 Hz, and beyond, with each jump promising a slight visual feedback edge for competitive players.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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