as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
raised one final, piddling objection to the plan
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Recent Examples of piddling
Star Tribune, 3 Dec. 2020
Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2020
What’s particularly baffling is that Syria now produces a piddling amount of oil—about as much as Utah.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2019
That will make the current economic uncertainty look piddling.
—Daniel W. Drezner, Twin Cities, 15 Aug. 2019
In the battle for mind share, in the Trumpian quest to be part of every conversation, the Pixel far outweighs its piddling sales.
—Vlad Savov, The Verge, 16 Oct. 2018
Of those, only four rather piddling victories went the liberals’ way.
—The Economist, 30 June 2018
Learning about other runners' struggles and triumphs helps put my piddling run into a bigger narrative, often allowing me to see myself differently within another story.
—Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 21 June 2018
How to: Improve the Wi-Fi reception in your home
The most-improved was Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which went from a piddling 2.68 Mbps download speed in 2017 to 59.62 Mbps this year.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 12 June 2018
Verb
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.
—Star Tribune, 3 Dec. 2020
Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2020
What’s particularly baffling is that Syria now produces a piddling amount of oil—about as much as Utah.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2019
That will make the current economic uncertainty look piddling.
—Daniel W. Drezner, Twin Cities, 15 Aug. 2019
In the battle for mind share, in the Trumpian quest to be part of every conversation, the Pixel far outweighs its piddling sales.
—Vlad Savov, The Verge, 16 Oct. 2018
Of those, only four rather piddling victories went the liberals’ way.
—The Economist, 30 June 2018
Learning about other runners' struggles and triumphs helps put my piddling run into a bigger narrative, often allowing me to see myself differently within another story.
—Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 21 June 2018
How to: Improve the Wi-Fi reception in your home
The most-improved was Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which went from a piddling 2.68 Mbps download speed in 2017 to 59.62 Mbps this year.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 12 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piddling
Adjective
-
Is this the flipside of a higher nominal-growth metabolism across the world?—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
-
On the eve of World War I, Britain’s total debt, in nominal pounds, was about the same as 1819.—
Nathan Lewis,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Barefoot driving is legal in all 50 states, with the one slight exception being Alabama where footwear is required on motorcycles.—
Georgea Kovanis,
The Courier-Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Mail-in voting is now more popular among Democrats In the 2008 presidential election, there was only a slight difference in the popularity of mail-in voting by political party, according to a data analysis by Charles Stewart, director of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And in the case of this particular tiny home, the Timberline model by Amazon brand Allwood, that picture-perfect retreat is just a click away.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Sep. 2025
-
So pack that sunscreen, toss a floppy hat into your weekend bag, and get ready to sip fruity drinks with tiny umbrellas.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Take a trip to 2099, with Star Amerasu’s hysterical and clever social-media videos set in our very petty future.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
-
The film explores the petty jealousies and power dynamics that fuel the group of interchangeable young men in Oliver’s orbit, as Matthew gradually becomes famous by association and fights to stay relevant.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Truth Teller reporters repeatedly go undercover to nail down relatively trivial scoops, appearing, in the process, to flagrantly violate the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethical guidelines.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Directed by Sammi Cohen, this film centers on Stacy Friedman (Sunny Sandler — Adam's younger daughter), whose bat mitzvah plans are hilariously derailed by trivial mishaps.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And tech companies must do far more in the design of AI systems to prevent people fooling themselves into thinking these systems are conscious beings.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Deepfakes are getting better at fooling people and will continue to be a rising threat.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
That attention to detail — the belief that no detail is insignificant — is responsible for the career of the most famous man in football.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
-
During the 1980s, mainframe engineers considered personal computers to be insignificant devices.—
Sadhasivam Mohanadas,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piddling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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