PALTRY Synonyms: 334 Similar and Opposite Words

paltry

adjective

ˈpȯl-trē

Definition of paltry

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

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falling short of a standard the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of paltry Of the nearly 80 works by Gonzales shown, only a paltry sold; most were ultimately repurchased by Guérard, and remained in the family. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 21 May 2026 The other candidates in the races have raised sums that are paltry in comparison to Bera and Hall. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026 Ultimately, their preferred candidate, a moderate, prevailed, but Jude said that he is disappointed with the new administration’s policies, which have cut already paltry funding for public education. — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 But the frequency with which these scams are occurring — spurred by the ease of making and disseminating AI music — suggests scammers aren’t exactly deterred by paltry royalty payouts. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paltry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry

Adjective

Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.

— Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.

— Hector Vickers, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Definition of pitiful

Adjective

The plan is to then gradually introduce louder sounds, Coen added, to discover the level at which a sonic boom noise goes from being acceptable to unacceptable.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Given the national security stakes, the prospect of foreign governments being able to suspend access to critical models at a whim started to feel like an unacceptable risk.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of unacceptable

Adjective

Rather than source a direct, probably expensive, replacement in the market, Carrick fielded a fluid front four on Saturday, with Bryan Mbeumo deputising as the nominal forward.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
United Russia, the country’s nominal ruling party, was never built to designate an heir; rather, it was meant to ensure that elections produced reliably pro-regime seat-fillers in institutions such as parliament.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of nominal

Adjective

The jokes are still wildly scattershot and frequently, knowingly lame; the production is still cheap and cheerfully scrappy; the whole ragged enterprise is still reliant on the evident affection and chemistry between its players to hold it together.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
A couple solid set-pieces, a lame evil corporate villain, a limp Act 1 origin story, and the perfect scene where Pepper performs open-heart surgery on Tony complete the picture.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of lame

Adjective

But tensions have opened up between data center boosters and some community organizations that want to see more jobs and economic benefits go to local residents, especially predominantly poor Hispanic farm and food processing workers.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Conventional wisdom usually attributes those failures to changing markets, disruptive competitors, or poor leadership.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

Under its guidance, untold hectares of nasty greenery have succumbed to billions of dollars in herbicide.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
The schedule is nasty, too, with the Wolverines’ first five Power 4 opponents all capable of winning nine or more games this year.

— Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Sale appeared to have a slight hitch in his leg before starting his motion when he was called for his third career balk.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
And earlier this week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for June showed a slight pickup in hiring and quits (an indicator of employee confidence) while layoffs were essentially unchanged.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of slight

Browse Nearby Words

paltriness

paltry

pampa

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“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of paltry

adjective

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