as in trivialities
something of little importance
let us not speak of trifles when our nation may be going to war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in flirts
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in plays
to spend time in aimless activity
spent a lazy afternoon trifling on the front porch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trifles
Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
Nancy Lebrun, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
Elegant trifles that prove a baking fail doesn’t mean failure at all.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
Strawberries are delicious in cobblers, trifles, and crisps.
—Nancy Lebrun, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trifles
Verb
-
As if hinting toward the most logical endpoint of the premise, the script occasionally flirts with outright nihilism.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
-
At home, Netanyahu openly flirts with annexing large swaths of the West Bank.—
Firas Maksad,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Fans of the stage show know the second act is a pivotal moment for Fiyero and, by extension, the man who plays him.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
-
And Kirsten Dunst plays Leigh Wainscott, the Charlotte mom Manchester dated while hiding out off Independence Boulevard.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The first firefighters, who arrived within five minutes, reported seeing smoke coming from the upper windows of the apartment, according to Fire Marshal John Droppelmann with the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
30 Sep. 2025
-
By the time Melanie Fiona hit the stage at Tower Grove Park, the air was thick with incense, barbecue smoke, and the sound of Black folks exhaling.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, a pipeline is small beer compared to the world’s largest island, Greenland, laden with energy resources and rare earths.—
Llewellyn King,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
No one has ever rushed to the theatre for the sake of Hero and Claudio, the secondary lovers, whose wooings and sunderings, though eventful, seem like very small beer compared with the rich flirtatious spirits of the primary pair.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trifles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifles. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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