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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

piffling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of piffle

as in blundering

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffling

Adjective

For a nominal sum, the paper each day serves up authoritative accounts of sports events that occurred as much as a day earlier, give or take.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
The calculation refers to nominal total returns, combining coupon income and changes in the bond's market price.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 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

Another clever stunt that Althoff pulled off on the The Really Good Podcast was that she was involved in a slight-of-hand brand stunt with L’Oreal’s CeraVe.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Chubb was a slight disappointment in his Bills debut from a pass-rushing perspective.

— Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 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

Adjective

The good and the bad of democracy — healthy debate and petty political theater — were on display that weekend in Brussels.

— Esther King, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026
Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of petty

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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Piffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffling. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of piffling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes