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
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Is this the flipside of a higher nominal-growth metabolism across the world?—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025 -
On the eve of World War I, Britain’s total debt, in nominal pounds, was about the same as 1819.—
Nathan Lewis,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Apple so far has only been able to introduce a few basic AI features on the iPhone while failing to deliver on last year’s promise to deliver a more conversational and versatile version of its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri.—
Michael Liedtke,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Barefoot driving is legal in all 50 states, with the one slight exception being Alabama where footwear is required on motorcycles.—
Georgea Kovanis,
The Courier-Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
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Mail-in voting is now more popular among Democrats In the 2008 presidential election, there was only a slight difference in the popularity of mail-in voting by political party, according to a data analysis by Charles Stewart, director of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His recipe calls for muddling sweet Sun Gold tomatoes and fresh basil, plus a smidge of salt and sugar until juicy; then stirring in gin, vermouth, and ice until well-chilled.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Sep. 2025
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That’s muddling the outlook for rate cuts.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Take a trip to 2099, with Star Amerasu’s hysterical and clever social-media videos set in our very petty future.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
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The film explores the petty jealousies and power dynamics that fuel the group of interchangeable young men in Oliver’s orbit, as Matthew gradually becomes famous by association and fights to stay relevant.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a world where licenses and software locks forbid folks from simply plugging in a replacement component, the thought of a major company encouraging its customers to break out a soldering iron is mind boggling.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
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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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When Souleymane rehearses his account, in an early scene, Barry admonishes him for blandly reciting (and often bungling) the false facts he’s been given.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Piffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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