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the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa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
One of the biggest surprises for NRA estates is the paltry $60,000 exemption amount for U.S. situs assets subject to estate tax.
—
Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Actors Equity has for years sought relief, including via an expansion of the qualified performing artist deduction, something that is still limited to a paltry $16,000.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 July 2025
Above-normal temperatures combined with paltry precipitation levels have led to rapid snowmelts across the U.S. West — reducing water supplies for the spring and summer, federal meteorologists are warning.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 20 May 2025
The Thunder shot a paltry 8-of-30 on 3-pointers and were smoked in 1-on-1 ball.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Actors Equity has for years sought relief, including via an expansion of the qualified performing artist deduction, something that is still limited to a paltry $16,000.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 July 2025
Above-normal temperatures combined with paltry precipitation levels have led to rapid snowmelts across the U.S. West — reducing water supplies for the spring and summer, federal meteorologists are warning.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 20 May 2025
The Thunder shot a paltry 8-of-30 on 3-pointers and were smoked in 1-on-1 ball.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
-
My pansies are pitiful, the lavender is languishing and the salvia is suffering.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
7 July 2025
-
Something about this one note prompted even this pitiful creature to a risky gesture of mercy.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
In his short stint in Scranton, that number has come down a hair, but still resides at an unacceptable 29.4%.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
-
Clearly, the line the editorial board is trying to draw between acceptable and unacceptable social media use is murky at best.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Arriving in London, Jess has a chance encounter with Felix (Will Sharpe), a broke musician, in a particularly vile pub toilet.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
17 July 2025
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The tweets, a vile departure from Elmo’s often inspiring and motivational social media cadence, were sent on July 13 and promptly taken down.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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However, New Delhi must address a number of chronic systemic issues that prevent the world’s fourth largest economy ($4.19 trillion by nominal gross domestic product) from becoming a competitive manufacturing destination.—
Kamran Bokhari,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
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The Congressional Budget Office projected the increase in migrants would boost the U.S. nominal GDP by $8.9 trillion between 2024 to 2034.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
-
Spurred by climate change, Canadian wildfires have increasingly exacerbated poor air quality across Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
Because her judgment is so poor, your aggressively driving grandmother should not be behind the wheel.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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For example, wildfires can not only cause direct injury and damage to people and property but can also spew all sorts of nasty stuff into the air.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
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Morton signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Orioles this past offseason as a starting pitcher who had established himself with 17 years of MLB experience and a nasty curveball.—
Said Bravo,
CNN Money,
18 July 2025
Adjective
-
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 84. July 18: A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
15 July 2025
-
There is a slight chance of showers after 4 a.m. with a partly cloudy night.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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