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
  • Rather than source a direct, probably expensive, replacement in the market, Carrick fielded a fluid front four on Saturday, with Bryan Mbeumo deputising as the nominal forward.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • United Russia, the country’s nominal ruling party, was never built to designate an heir; rather, it was meant to ensure that elections produced reliably pro-regime seat-fillers in institutions such as parliament.
    — Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • Nashville was a slight favorite at kickoff, but Miami fielded a stellar starting lineup that included Sergio Reguilón, Casemiro, Rodrigo De Paul, Luis Suárez and Messi.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • At the slightest security alert, every point along the route can be brought to a standstill.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • Trade along the route remains tiny compared with major throughways like the Suez Canal and is dominated by Russian oil and gas, which – along with a few other LNG buyers in Asia – principally flow to China.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The amount of neutrino energy absorbed by the companion star, however, would be only a tiny fraction of the amount of energy the star emits on its own, so again, this is likely to have little effect.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • And yet the office—its smells and politics, its grievances petty, existential, or edifying—must have made an impression.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Look no further for a wake up call than these three actors representing House Hightower, powerful and imposing in their own right, but just as catty and petty as the Lannisters at the end of the day.
    — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 12 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
  • Maybe someone noticed a person acting suspicious, heard a fight, saw someone leaving the area or remembers a detail that seemed insignificant at the time.
    — Simcha Itzkowitz, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • While that isolated figure may not sound like much, that ostensibly insignificant amount of time adds up to a little over 19 days worth of sleep over the course of a year.
    — Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of insignificant
Adjective
  • And once Anthropic tells the world how to identify these watermarks, building a system to remove them would be trivial.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Duration is a decent hedge against a labor market recession and a poor hedge against a stagflationary drift, and right now the odds of the second scenario are not trivial.
    — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Piddly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piddly. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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