piddly

adjective

ˈpid-lē How to pronounce piddly (audio)
Definition of piddlynext
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention there's only a piddly difference in price between the two paintings, so take whichever you prefer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 piddly The piddly fines certainly aren’t a deterrent. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026 This stole the top spot from 1993, with its piddly 76 days over 100. — Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024 Byrne is still a United States congressman and that’s no piddly thing. — Kyle Whitmire, al, 7 Nov. 2019 This information isn't written in the controller's piddly instruction manual. — Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2018 After Kilauea's 1924 summit explosions, the volcano entered a decade of piddly rumblings, followed by 18 years of silence. — Sophia Yan and Malcolm Ritter, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piddly
  1. nominal
  2. slight
  3. tiny
  4. petty
  5. piddling
  6. insignificant
  7. trivial
  8. paltry
Adjective
  • International goods trade comprises nearly a third of the state's nominal GDP, with the state particularly exposed to tariffs that were not invalidated by February's Supreme Court ruling.
    — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 13 July 2026
  • The judge also awarded Biden $1 in nominal damages and ordered Byrne to pay nearly $35,000 in court sanctions.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • Shares slid 2% after the regional bank reported a slight earnings miss in its second-quarter financial report.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • One minor point over that version is that on the Switch, there is a slight pause when spoken audio or video is loaded in.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • This allows the hybrid system to operate continuously for days or even weeks with a tiny power system.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 July 2026
  • That gives the three imminent data centers in Miami-Dade a tinier footprint than the headline makers elsewhere in the state, said Margaret Cook, vice president of water and community resilience at the Houston Advanced Research Center.
    — Alexandra Phelps, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • The Greek myths are rife with petty and meddlesome deities squabbling, playing favorites, punishing harshly, and otherwise wreaking havoc on the lives of mortal men.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • In each social-commentary-teetering-on-horror episode, Nanno is a pupil at a different school, picture perfect and scanning the room for whatever secrets — an abusive teacher, an absurd hierarchical system, petty jealousy — demand to be revealed.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.
    — Star Tribune, 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
Definition of piddling
Adjective
  • The weight penalty over the coupe is about 198 pounds, which is not insignificant, though the complex folding system can open and close the top in just 14 seconds at up to 30 mph.
    — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 15 July 2026
  • Although stories of vanishing planes and people are still linked to the myth of the Bermuda Triangle, researchers have concluded that the number of disappearances is relatively insignificant.
    — Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2026
Definition of insignificant
Adjective
  • The poet begins to lose faith in his subject—why write about such a trivial matter as Europe descends into war?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • An industry-wide standard Microsoft invented to protect Windows, and later Linux, devices from firmware infections has been trivial to bypass for 13 of its 14 years of existence.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026
Definition of trivial
Adjective
  • Criston Cole has a paltry force and one the Riverlanders loyal to Rhaenyra and Daemon should have no trouble with.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • In a harsh world, this would cleave away Spain, whose leader Rodri has a relatively paltry 61 caps.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 June 2026
Definition of paltry

Browse Nearby Words

piddling
piddly
pidgin
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Cite this Entry

“Piddly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piddly. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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