trifling 1 of 2

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trifling

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verb

present participle of trifle

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trifling
Adjective
Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families. David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025 Frankly, the more trifling the crime, the better this franchise’s comedy aspirations would work. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025 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 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 Growing immunity against the coronavirus, repeatedly reinforced by vaccines and infections, could eventually tame COVID into a sickness as trifling as the common cold or, at worst, one on par with the seasonal flu. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2022 Specific as Ozon’s approach here may be (nothing feels accidental or arbitrary), his lovingly made curio, which often borrows verbatim from its predecessor, comes off a bit tired and trifling. Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trifling
Adjective
  • The club insisted Isak was left behind because of a minor thigh problem but The Athletic reported on Thursday sources, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly, indicated the forward favoured being omitted amid his uncertain future.
    Chris Waugh, New York Times, 26 July 2025
  • More Songs is, in effect, Eno’s debut as a capital-P producer, notwithstanding some minor early efforts and, of course, David Bowie’s landmark sessions for Low and Heroes.
    Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2025
Adjective
  • There is a slight chance of showers after 4 a.m. with a partly cloudy night.
    Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 15 July 2025
  • Mostly cloudy, with a low around 84. July 18: A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am.
    Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • Their stars are blatantly flirting with their audiences, tiptoeing the line between cringe and attractive.
    Leah Asmelash, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The trouble is that Musk’s own record of facilitating and flirting with hate speech, often in a trollish manner, invites belligerent response.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Deion Sanders began his NFL career with the Falcons in 1989, also playing baseball for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves well into the 1990s.
    Dan Pompei, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Then something strange happened — the Falcons started playing like one of the best defenses in the league.
    Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The Kitchen by Cooking with Que is open to the public Fridays and Saturdays as a small café. Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com.
    Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 25 July 2025
  • Bringing bold wallpaper into a small space can be a fun way to add a bit of a ‘wow’ factor, and that is precisely what Laws did in this 40-square-foot half-bath.
    Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • However, New Delhi must address a number of chronic systemic issues that prevent the world’s fourth largest economy ($4.19 trillion by nominal gross domestic product) from becoming a competitive manufacturing destination.
    Kamran Bokhari, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
  • The Congressional Budget Office projected the increase in migrants would boost the U.S. nominal GDP by $8.9 trillion between 2024 to 2034.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • And who was on the plane, who’s in the little black book?
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2025
  • The specialized wedding dress retailer crafts unique dresses for the plush accessory, giving the Pop Mart little monster toy the bridal treatment in an unconventional way.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • The Moon is opposite Mercury in your sign, and this can trigger petty squabbles.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 12 July 2025
  • We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore.
    Rob Day, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Trifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifling. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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