PIFFLING Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

piffling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpi-flən

Definition of piffling

as in nominal

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention from his perspective as a billionaire, what the governor got paid was a piffling amount

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

piffling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of piffle

as in blundering

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffling

Adjective

Patients in Medicaid, the state- and federally-funded program for people with low incomes, already pay a nominal co-payment of a few dollars to fill their prescriptions, but lower prices could help state budgets that fund the programs.

— Fatima Hussein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
But recent wars have exposed the gap between nominal power and usable military capability.

— NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of nominal

Verb

Only a blundering idiot could spoil such an alliance and threaten damage to Florida’s economy.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
On Monday, the first day of the trial in which Basabe is representing himself without an attorney, the proceedings were shaded by Basabe’s blundering legal missteps and procedural chaos.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Definition of blundering

Adjective

In the for-pay security suite, the VPN gets a slight bandwidth boost, doubling the free limit to 1 gigabyte per month.

— Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
The tadpoles — some descended from frogs in the San Jacinto Mountains and others from the San Bernardino Mountains — were separated into two groups because of their slight genetic differences.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of slight

Verb

But however janky, the system just about works for the ornery menfolk muddling their way through it, with their many beefs mostly resolved with a bottle of lethally alcoholic local tipple chacha, or a punch to the face, or both.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Drop in the cinnamon sticks and cloves, gently muddling once or twice to release their aroma.

— John Kell, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026

Definition of muddling

Verb

Hamaguchi told Deadline that the team painstakingly cemented Vincent and Yuffie into irrevocable mainstays while also giving Zack (not available in my preview) an increasingly important role in the trilogy’s larger time-boggling mystery.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
The line of aircraft coming in for a landing looks mind boggling to handle but the ATC’s do it without incident.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of boggling

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

Verb

The combustion of Graham Platner’s candidacy in Maine is another blow to a Democratic Party trying to mend its reputation after bungling the 2024 presidential election.

— Editorial Board, Washington Post, 9 July 2026
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who polled at 5% in the CBS survey, accused Becerra of bungling the federal government’s response to COVID-19, mpox and the influx in child migrants under former President Joe Biden.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026

Definition of bungling

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

piffles

piffling

pig

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“Piffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffling. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of piffling

adjective

verb

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