piffling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpi-flən How to pronounce piffling (audio)
Definition of pifflingnext
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

piffling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of piffle
as in blundering

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffling
  1. nominal
  2. blundering
  3. slight
  4. muddling
  5. petty
  6. boggling
  7. piddling
  8. bungling
Adjective
  • International goods trade comprises nearly a third of the state's nominal GDP, with the state particularly exposed to tariffs that were not invalidated by February's Supreme Court ruling.
    — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 13 July 2026
  • The judge also awarded Biden $1 in nominal damages and ordered Byrne to pay nearly $35,000 in court sanctions.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of nominal
Verb
  • 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
  • The bull sagged at the front quarters, then began a desperate, blundering run.
    — Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 8 July 2026
Definition of blundering
Adjective
  • Ndoye didn't shoot on his first touch of the ball, though, and that slight hesitation to control the ball and gather for a shot left just enough time for Argentina to swoop in to block the shot.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 July 2026
  • England will be slight favorites given the amount of world-class quality supporting its star man.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of slight
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
Definition of muddling
Adjective
  • The Greek myths are rife with petty and meddlesome deities squabbling, playing favorites, punishing harshly, and otherwise wreaking havoc on the lives of mortal men.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • In each social-commentary-teetering-on-horror episode, Nanno is a pupil at a different school, picture perfect and scanning the room for whatever secrets — an abusive teacher, an absurd hierarchical system, petty jealousy — demand to be revealed.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of petty
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
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
  • 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
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.

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piffles
piffling
pig
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Cite this Entry

“Piffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffling. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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