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
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
Aside from bacteria, the smallest genome belongs to the intestinal parasite Encephalitozoon intestinalis, with a trifling 2.3 billion base pairs.
—Kirsten Weir, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2011
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
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
Aside from bacteria, the smallest genome belongs to the intestinal parasite Encephalitozoon intestinalis, with a trifling 2.3 billion base pairs.
—Kirsten Weir, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2011
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
-
After seeking out a nearby fishmonger and calculating what this ingredient would cost me (a precious $30 per pound), I was left with a minor headache.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 May 2026
-
Richards opened the season in Philadelphia’s minor-league system, made nine appearances at the Triple-A level, was called up to the parent club on April 30 and pitched twice for the Phillies before he was traded to the Sox on Tuesday.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
After the unremarkable Chip Kelly recruiting era, which begat a slight bump under DeShaun Foster, what first-year coach Bob Chesney has done, before coaching a game, has been downright remarkable.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
-
The video shows slight puffs of smoke from the Sea Star’s smokestack, and then darker smoke rising from it after the strike.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The White Sox were flirting with first place in the American League Central on Tuesday, trailing the Cleveland Guardians by a half-game.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
All this league flirting and dealmaking with streaming services is under scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to determine if the league is violating its antitrust exemption.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!—
Mark Cooper,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
Paul and Barlow spent several minutes in the second half playing in the frontcourt, giving Nurse options to switch seamlessly while playing small when other Sixers bigs dealt with foul trouble.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
August 23 – September 22 One small fix today could make everything run better.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
These mad scientists then trained a small flock of sheep to recognize four celebrities—Emma Watson, Barack Obama, Jake Gyllenhaal, and the BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce—from their pictures on the internet.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
If a more involved DIY installation sounds prohibitive, Starlink does contract with installers nationwide for a nominal fee.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
-
And, in the end, none of the aforementioned might be available except for Ja Morant, who might be only a nominal upgrade, if that.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.—
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
-
The hearts and minds of Braves players were on Bobby Cox on a sunny evening at Dodger Stadium before the middle game of a three-game series against the Dodgers — a game that meant very little, considering the news of the day.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
10 May 2026
-
The peas themselves are piled like cabochons over a thin pastry shell, dressed in a tart citrus vinaigrette and studded with slivers of pickled shallots that deliver bracing little sparks of brine against the crisp sweetness of the legumes.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifling. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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