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picayune 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of picayunenext
1
as in petty
not broad or open in views or opinions the picayune ponderings of a commentator who steadfastly believes other cultures are inferior to our own

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention irritatingly picayune complaints

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

picayune

2 of 2

noun

ˌpi-kē-ˈyün How to pronounce picayune (audio)
as in nothing
something of little importance our lives don't amount to a picayune in the great scheme of things

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 picayune
Adjective
The two events share a history — one that illustrates just how the plate program has become picayune, politicized and potentially hazardous to public safety. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026 By itself, this habit might seem picayune. — Jeet Heer, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2025 But only a fool would harp on picayune flaws when this rich material is being served with such musical polish and sensitivity. — Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 Challenging ballot designations has become something of a sport in California politics — squabbles over the occasionally picayune rules return each cycle like the swallows to Capistrano. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2022 At this point you may be exhausted by the exploration of picayune facts. — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2012
Noun
What might strike the casual observer as a picayune air conditioning problem weaves in, in the telling of it over coffee at The Buttered Tin restaurant, many unruly elements. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2025 His credulity led to misadventures the details of which are so picayune that Chernow’s emphasis on them can be maddening. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025 The show has always dwelled in the picayune at times, but these and so many other moments feel like attempts to find the fight, to gin something up. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picayune
  1. petty
  2. slight
  3. nothing
  4. small
  5. nominal
  6. triviality
  7. parochial
  8. trivial
Adjective
  • The good and the bad of democracy — healthy debate and petty political theater — were on display that weekend in Brussels.
    — Esther King, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • Another clever stunt that Althoff pulled off on the The Really Good Podcast was that she was involved in a slight-of-hand brand stunt with L’Oreal’s CeraVe.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Chubb was a slight disappointment in his Bills debut from a pass-rushing perspective.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of slight
Noun
  • While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
  • When Dana, who, like Virginia, had been successful in writing pleasant but undistinguished nothings—in her case, songs for Billy Rose’s revues—decided to try taking on more serious music by studying with Boulanger, Virginia entered a deep downward spiral.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of nothing
Adjective
  • Rooms This is a big hotel, with 177 rooms and suites that range in size and shape from the smallest superior rooms to the impressive top-floor penthouse.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Newsom, in his veto message at the time, cited concerns about stifling innovation and said smaller AI models, which would have been exempt from the law, could also be dangerous.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of small
Adjective
  • Patients in Medicaid, the state- and federally-funded program for people with low incomes, already pay a nominal co-payment of a few dollars to fill their prescriptions, but lower prices could help state budgets that fund the programs.
    — Fatima Hussein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But recent wars have exposed the gap between nominal power and usable military capability.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of nominal
Noun
  • After that, conquering parts of the universe would be a triviality.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Spain’s shrewdness came in their refusal to engage with off-the-ball trivialities.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of triviality
Adjective
  • Back then the age of discovery was at its peak, and startling new information about what had previously been a very parochial planet was flooding into the academies of Europe and the Americas.
    — Ian Tattersall, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Among the bureaucratic, parochial, pastoral and familial spaces his work takes his clients, a reflection on roots, gentrification and the act of remaining emerges.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of parochial
Adjective
  • One of the most interesting and useful things that romantic drama, classic or modern, can do is to distinguish essential characteristics from trivial ones.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026
  • At the same time, the impact/value can be low when autonomous operations are only applied to trivial, time-consuming tasks.
    — Karthik Kannan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of trivial

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Cite this Entry

“Picayune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picayune. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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