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
Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Enjoy them as-is, in fruit trifles or parfaits, as part of a fruit salsa or salad, or blended into smoothies.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2026
Sky-high trifles, rich and creamy puddings, homemade candy– the holidays are a great time for decadent desserts.
—Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 13 Nov. 2025
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
Strawberries are delicious in cobblers, trifles, and crisps.
—Nancy Lebrun, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
Treaties were trifles compared to armies and bullets.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Enjoy them as-is, in fruit trifles or parfaits, as part of a fruit salsa or salad, or blended into smoothies.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2026
Sky-high trifles, rich and creamy puddings, homemade candy– the holidays are a great time for decadent desserts.
—Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
Bake off scraps of pie dough (either plain or with a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar) until golden and crisp, then crumble into sundaes, parfaits, trifles, and more.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
Strawberries are delicious in cobblers, trifles, and crisps.
—Nancy Lebrun, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trifles
Verb
-
While waiting for flights to resume, Charli’s character Bethany flirts with the idea of blowing up her life by rekindling a romance with an old friend who owns a flower shop in Warsaw.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Myers’ maternal half-brother is Quentin Grimes, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and spent part of the 2024-25 season with the Mavericks.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
How to Plan a Trip Trying to follow the original Route 66 today can feel a bit like chasing smoke.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Roads in the Lebanese capital were choked with evacuating traffic as smoke rose over the city’s southern districts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a world of deepfakes, ersatz eye contact is small beer.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Trifles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifles. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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