paltry

adjective

ˈpȯl-trē How to pronounce paltry (audio)
Definition of paltrynext
1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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falling short of a standard the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency just some paltry ruse to bilk the system

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  1. pitiful
  2. unacceptable
  3. vile
  4. nominal
  5. lame
  6. poor
  7. nasty
  8. slight
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 episode has added to a growing chorus of concern among AI safety advocates, who argue that agents capable of independently identifying and exploiting unknown vulnerabilities across multiple companies’ infrastructure present an unacceptable risk.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • Conditional approval remains a possibility for firms demonstrating no unacceptable risks.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • His tenure came to an end when video surfaced of a drunken Galliano berating other customers at a Paris bar with vile antisemitic insults.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But no amount of handouts, Hefty bags and Windex can pretty up the scene right now around Lineage, as my colleague Salvador Hernandez described this week in vivid, vile detail.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of vile
Adjective
  • For now, the aftermarket pays nominal registry fees to officially access the manufacturers’ secure gateways.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026
  • As a base rate, the S&P grows earnings approximately 6% a year, in line with historical nominal GDP growth.
    — Timothy P. Beyer, Forbes.com, 28 July 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
  • Covid-19 wasn’t immediately recognized as a disease with airborne transmission with the potential to spread beyond the 6-foot social distancing measure, especially in places with poor ventilation or around activities with heavy breathing.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Crepe myrtles may not bloom due to poor pruning, low light, watering issues, weak soil, or pests.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 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
  • The righty, working with a slight pitch count after a complete game last week, followed two strikeouts in the first inning with five more in his outing.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Morgan walked into the opening match for SummerSlam Saturday as a slight favorite per Betonline.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of slight

Browse Nearby Words

paltriness
paltry
pampa
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on paltry

Nglish: Translation of paltry for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All