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trivial

adjective

ˈtri-vē-əl How to pronounce trivial (audio)
Definition of trivialnext
1
as in minor
lacking importance why spend so much time on trivial decisions, like whether the soda should be regular or diet?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention figured that restaurant customers wouldn't notice such a trivial surcharge on their bill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 trivial Getting that apparently trivial behavior working involved Home Assistant, MQTT, custom software, and more Claude, Codex and ChatGPT tokens than one should reasonably associate with boiling pasta. — New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2026 Thousands of comments flooded the post mocking the department for spending its time on such a trivial matter. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026 The differences—native language, religious and cultural background—seemed trivial. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 More importantly, Votee’s training costs, while not trivial, are still significantly smaller than frontier labs. — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trivial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trivial
  1. minor
  2. slight
  3. small
  4. nominal
  5. little
  6. petty
  7. unimportant
  8. insignificant
Adjective
  • Once in orbit at L2, only minor burns once every 28 days are needed for station keeping — a negligible amount of fuel.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Everyone wants better decisions, particularly when their own team is on the wrong end of an injustice, minor or major.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of minor
Adjective
  • Another clever stunt that Althoff pulled off on the The Really Good Podcast was that she was involved in a slight-of-hand brand stunt with L’Oreal’s CeraVe.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Chubb was a slight disappointment in his Bills debut from a pass-rushing perspective.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • Rooms This is a big hotel, with 177 rooms and suites that range in size and shape from the smallest superior rooms to the impressive top-floor penthouse.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Newsom, in his veto message at the time, cited concerns about stifling innovation and said smaller AI models, which would have been exempt from the law, could also be dangerous.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of small
Adjective
  • Patients in Medicaid, the state- and federally-funded program for people with low incomes, already pay a nominal co-payment of a few dollars to fill their prescriptions, but lower prices could help state budgets that fund the programs.
    — Fatima Hussein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But recent wars have exposed the gap between nominal power and usable military capability.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • If that prediction misses, then manufacturers have little opportunity to change course.
    — Sally C. Pipes, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • But my little Outlander sweeties, this is not just any reverend, this is Reverend Wakefield.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of little
Adjective
  • The good and the bad of democracy — healthy debate and petty political theater — were on display that weekend in Brussels.
    — Esther King, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • The Analyst can spend all their time answering urgent but unimportant requests.
    — Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Wright agrees that the findings shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that omega-3s are unimportant for the brain.
    — Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 14 July 2026
Definition of unimportant
Adjective
  • Five Arabic coffee shops might seem like an insignificant number in the vast metropolitan sprawl.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The decision that seemed insignificant at the time but actually explains why the company exists.
    — Rich Bornstein, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of insignificant

Browse Nearby Words

trivia
trivial
trivialities
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Cite this Entry

“Trivial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trivial. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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