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
-
Israeli forces seized a 12th-century Crusader castle in southern Lebanon, as Israel intensifies its farthest incursion into the country in 26 years, despite a nominal ceasefire.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026 -
Achraf Hakimi, despite his nominal position, rarely plays on the right or at the back, and instead is often high and central as an extra midfielder and to provide the right-winger with underlapping runs.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 May 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 finish is short, with lingering notes of citrus, pepper, and a slight mineral edge.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
That slight tweak—far from the grandiose promise of political revolution—might find power in the voters’ verdict.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
30 May 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
-
When a conversation ends without a real answer, when a situation is explained away rather than actually explained, the discomfort is not neurotic or petty.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
Mary disrupts Clark’s equilibrium with the Backrooms by refusing to validate his excuses for his behavior, fully calling out his failings, his petty assholery, and his glib, solipsistic lies.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 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
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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
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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 6 Jun. 2026.
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