Thesaurus results for PICAYUNES

picayunes

noun

plural of picayune

as in small beer

something of little importance our lives don't amount to a picayune in the great scheme of things

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for picayunes

Noun

In terms of drinks, colonists didn't have ways to purify their water, so people drank small beer or weak wine, Miller said.

— Ava Berger, NPR, 28 June 2026
In comparison, fifth-tier Wrexham must have seemed like small beer, even allowing for the takeover by Reynolds and Mac just a few months earlier.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of small beer

Noun

The distinction is particularly important near the Moon’s south pole, where small changes in terrain can affect solar exposure and direct visibility of Earth.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
Taurus April 20 – May 20 A small change at home could start a much bigger conversation.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of small change

Noun

Spain’s shrewdness came in their refusal to engage with off-the-ball trivialities.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
After debuting in 2007, The Big Bang Theory entertained viewers with the everyday trivialities and obsessions of friends who work in science.

— Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026

Definition of trivialities

Noun

But, when Dovner questioned him lightly about the details, the man’s infectious laughter made Gleb even more convinced that such trifles were hardly worth mentioning at all.

— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
Or its lazy gaze and obsession with gloss over lived-in texture, which sinks its moments of violence into forgettable trifles?

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of trifles

Noun

In Kot’s eyes, the band was stunting its artistic growth by becoming a familiar, corporate brand à la the Rolling Stones; for Bono, there were some good songs on Voodoo Lounge.

— Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 12 Nov. 2026
Keyboardist Jason Derlatka took over for two songs — also capturing Perry’s pipes with eerie precision.

— Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of songs

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.

Browse Nearby Words

picayune

picayunes

picayunish

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Picayunes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picayunes. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of picayunes

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

lissome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

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

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes