1
as in minor
lacking importance
deciding what you want to do for a living is no trifling matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
trifling differences between the theatrical and DVD versions of the movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in flirting
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 playing
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 trifling
Chris Colin, Wired News, 18 May 2026
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, 19 Mar. 2026
The health factor is no trifling qualifier for a player who has missed time with shoulder and oblique injuries, in addition to that unfortunate incident with his pelvic floor.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Talk of mounting nuclear readiness towards Russia, which has more atomic weapons than any other country in the world, could overshadow more trifling domestic matters, like the Epstein scandal, for instance.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2025
Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2010
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The rise may seem trifling, but staffers work long hours, and a caffeine budget is a necessity.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
The aging Airy had devoted his observatory to stellar measurements that now produced trifling improvements to navigation.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
In less trifling hands, there’s no telling what these tools could do, are doing now.
—Chris Colin, Wired News, 18 May 2026
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, 19 Mar. 2026
The health factor is no trifling qualifier for a player who has missed time with shoulder and oblique injuries, in addition to that unfortunate incident with his pelvic floor.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Talk of mounting nuclear readiness towards Russia, which has more atomic weapons than any other country in the world, could overshadow more trifling domestic matters, like the Epstein scandal, for instance.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2025
Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2010
Verb
But that still left the less-than-trifling matter of the second tier’s title to settle, as the teams were locked together on 97 points with one game still to play.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The rise may seem trifling, but staffers work long hours, and a caffeine budget is a necessity.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
The aging Airy had devoted his observatory to stellar measurements that now produced trifling improvements to navigation.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trifling
Adjective
-
Earlier in the year, Edwards dealt with a minor setback, which forced him to miss a handful of games early on.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
-
For those who had been convicted in the past, the data doesn't distinguish between minor offenses and violent crimes.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
8 Dec. 2025
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
-
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
-
Sharking, which refers to the act of pursuing someone, often with the intention of flirting or trying to impress them in a somewhat aggressive manner.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Romantic relationships between adults include kissing and flirting, and one of the family members is gay and brings her girlfriend home for the holidays.—
Katie Grant,
Parents,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Simmons fits in nicely alongside eighth-graders Ella Parece and Molly Buffington, all playing a big role in the run this time.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2026
-
The Knicks are playing Game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight at home, in the Garden.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
And as expected, the conference effectively got rid of its late-season weekend of games against smaller schools.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The intake is capped at 280 visas annually to prevent a brain drain in the small island nation.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
12 Dec. 2025
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
-
Zeus found out that Orion was fooling around with his daughter Artemis, the goddess of the moon.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a global manufacturing hub — has been since the 17th-century, when local farmers needed a side-hustle during harsh winters, and started tinkering with big hands and little hands.—
Jon Wertheim,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
-
According to the researchers, the discovery highlights how little is known about deep-ocean ecosystems and underscores the need for rigorous environmental assessments before large-scale mining is allowed to proceed.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifling. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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