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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffling
Adjective
-
The quality adjustment problem does not reside in nominal GDP, which simply asks what was spent, earned, or produced in current dollars, but rather in the deflator applied to convert those nominal figures into real terms.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026 -
In a recent client note, Thomas argued that real interest rates, or the difference between nominal rates and inflation, were much higher under Greenspan and thus more restrictive then, giving the Fed leeway.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
The broadest of comedies, the film’s often puerile humor is driven by an endless stream of male bungling, blundering and whining, only to be kicked up a notch by pratfalls of nearly every variety, from getting bucked off a galloping horse to tripping into a pile of trash.—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
27 May 2026
-
Right now, the source of the disruption in the airline industry is the President’s blundering rather than a financial meltdown that originated on Wall Street.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
The 37 mm case, integrated bracelet, and dial are crafted in 18-karat gold, with the eight white-gold screws on the bezel providing only the slightest bit of contrast.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
6 June 2026
-
Pivoting effortlessly from family man to ruthless felon, Cranston once again puts his acting range on full display, with a nuanced performance that is underscored by the knowledge that the slightest misstep could cost him — and his family — their lives.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Drop in the cinnamon sticks and cloves, gently muddling once or twice to release their aroma.—
John Kell,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
-
Ken Holland, general manager, B Holland arrived on the scene of a muddling franchise that had lost four straight first-round series to the same opponent.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lestat justifies his, uh, connection with Gabriella by arguing that vampires transcend petty human concepts like conventional morality.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
7 June 2026
-
The Avs did right by MacFarland in granting him permission to interview, unlike the petty and classless Golden Knights, who continue to hold former coach Bruce Cassidy hostage.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
The audience is relieved of the prior editions’ boggling tsunami wall of zombies.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
-
Advertisement All eyes will be on Ilia Malinin, for the stunning array of quadruple jumps that the Virginia native pulls off with a mind boggling ease.—
Alice Park,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
-
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
-
And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Piffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffling. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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