1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired
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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the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paltry
Employees, many of whom were classified as part-time or independent contractors, earned paltry wages despite working gruelling weeks.
—
Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
This final exchange pointed again to the paltry outcomes of the summit.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
His second wife, rich and vulgar, is the polar opposite of the first duchess’s distinction, just as Paracelsus’s elegant opacity is a better version of the paltry resident magician and alchemist whom the duke can afford.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
In May of 2025, that number fell to a staggering $961,084, while June was an equally paltry $1 million.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
This final exchange pointed again to the paltry outcomes of the summit.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
His second wife, rich and vulgar, is the polar opposite of the first duchess’s distinction, just as Paracelsus’s elegant opacity is a better version of the paltry resident magician and alchemist whom the duke can afford.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
In May of 2025, that number fell to a staggering $961,084, while June was an equally paltry $1 million.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
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The Browns have scored the second-fewest points in the NFL, ahead of only the pitiful Tennessee Titans.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
-
On the side of the highway, Wilson cuts a pitiful, solitary figure.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The New York State GOP Executive Committee then voted unanimously to revoke the Young Republicans’ charter on October 17, 2025, citing mismanagement and condemning the language as unacceptable in the party or its affiliates.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
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Others are preaching patience, but acknowledge that the status quo is unacceptable.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Marty Muggle-Wump is part of the clever monkey duo determined to outsmart their vile captors, perfectly voiced by Timothy Simons.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Maresca’s midfield featured Moises Caicedo, nominal full-back Malo Gusto, and Enzo Fernandez operating higher than usual in Palmer’s absence.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
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Drake sought nominal, compensatory, and punitive damages, plus legal fees.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
My only complaint is that the light blue stripes on the arm look printed, not stitched, which is kinda lame.—
The Athletic NHL Staff,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Porter has been a lead creator before, but that was on cellar-dwelling Houston Rockets squads that became a breeding ground for poor habits.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Young people want better governance and are fed up with suffering from poor services and economies while their leaders get rich around them and inequality grows.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Twin Cities,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Twits are so gross and puerile and nasty in the book.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2025
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New York, though, has a nasty triumvirate in Carter, Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, the last of whom is having an early career year with seven sacks.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Return with a slight counter-rotation and complete more reps as desired.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Looking ahead to 2026, Coke is projecting a slight tail wind to both its revenue and comparable earnings from currency fluctuations.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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