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
-
Not the org chart kind, which can be nominal, but the operational kind that survives a reorg.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026 -
That means raising pay in real terms, not merely bestowing nominal bumps which can be wiped out by inflation.—
Randi Weingarten,
Time,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The consequences ranged from hobbling Reconstruction to hastening the end of the Ottoman Empire to poisonous deflation, and the blundering response by governments helped shape the modern world.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
6 June 2026
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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
Adjective
-
The day before the fires ignited, the National Weather Service warned of extreme Valley heat, dry fuels, and a slight chance of thunderstorms.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
9 Dec. 2025
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The fight to fill Miami’s mayor office comes to a head on Tuesday evening during a special runoff election as Democrat Eileen Higgins and Republican Emilio González are locked in a tight race, with the Democrat holding a slight lead in early voting.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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While some of Winstanley’s suggestions have been welcomed, other sources claim a lack of experience and knowledge in women’s football is muddling operations and leading to poor decision-making.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 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
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Wembanyama mired his fundamental greatness by either trying too hard to dominate or exerting his physicality in a petty way.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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Others mention struggling main street shops, potholes and petty crime.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The terrific film reel producer Jennifer Fox and her team put together was mind boggling to be sure and really showed the remarkable breadth of Cruise’s talent.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
17 Nov. 2025
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The tragedy side of things is addressed rather offhandedly — occasionally the movie will remember the boggling grief and betrayal at its center, only to shrug it off again just as quickly.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, that global temperature record that DiCaprio mentioned in his acceptance speech in 2016 seems almost trifling compared to what has happened since.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Verb
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In a Wednesday social media post published shortly after the release of May inflation data, Vance accused the Fed of bungling its job to balance price growth and unemployment through interest rates.—
Sylvan Lane,
The Hill,
11 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Piffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffling. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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