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

Relevance

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
  • For now, the aftermarket pays nominal registry fees to officially access the manufacturers’ secure gateways.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026
  • As a base rate, the S&P grows earnings approximately 6% a year, in line with historical nominal GDP growth.
    — Timothy P. Beyer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • The righty, working with a slight pitch count after a complete game last week, followed two strikeouts in the first inning with five more in his outing.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Morgan walked into the opening match for SummerSlam Saturday as a slight favorite per Betonline.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • The antenna is extremely lightweight, and the team miniaturized it to be both the right size and shape to fit the tiny helicopters, which sit just 6 inches (15 centimeters) above the ground at rest.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • These tiny flies, about 1/8-inch long, are drawn to moist potting soil and decaying leaves on the soil’s surface around houseplants.
    — Leah Chester-Davis, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • The show finds ways to expose the worst in its characters, their pettiest, most vengeful, greediest parts.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Beyond petty crime, the department warned that Belgium remains at risk for terrorist attacks and related activity.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 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
  • Prostate biopsies are lucrative for urologists, who can do them in their practice and therefore have an incentive to order them, and so is finding clinically insignificant cancers that can be actively monitored, potentially through further biopsies.
    — Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Another not insignificant part of all of this is the price starting pitchers, even rental starting pitchers, commanded at the deadline.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of insignificant
Adjective
  • Ireland’s Strategy For Quantum Technologies Building and sustaining a new industry is never a trivial undertaking.
    — Dr. Jonathan Reichental, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • Justice John Dixon said Bauer Media had failed to show the claims made about Wilson were substantially true or trivial.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of trivial
Adjective
  • Being paid a paltry second-line rate for the next six years is a bargain.
    — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of paltry

Browse Nearby Words

piddling
piddly
pidgin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Piddly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piddly. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All