paltry

adjective

pal·​try ˈpȯl-trē 

paltrier; paltriest

1

: inferior, trashy

built paltry houses unfit for occupancy

2

: mean, despicable

a paltry trick

3

: trivial

a paltry excuse

they in their greatness don't have to bother with such paltry restrictions

—Vanessa Feltz

4

: meager, measly

made a paltry donation

Sales have increased by a paltry two percent.

paltriness noun

Did you know?

Before "paltry" was an adjective, it was a noun meaning "trash." That now obsolete noun in turn came from "palt" or "pelt," dialect terms meaning "a piece of coarse cloth," or broadly, "trash." The adjective "paltry" first meant "trashy," but currently has a number of senses, all generally meaning "no good." A "paltry house" might be run-down and unfit for occupancy; a "paltry trick" is a trick that is low-down and dirty; a "paltry excuse" is a trivial one; and a "paltry sum" is small and insufficient.

Synonyms

• cheap
• contemptible
• cruddy
• deplorable
• despicable
• dirty
• grubby
• lame
• lousy
• mean
• nasty
• pitiable
• pitiful
• ratty
• scabby
• scummy
• scurvy
• sneaking
• sorry
• wretched

Examples of paltry in a Sentence

a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired

the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa

Recent Examples on the Web

Truth Social, in contrast, is notable for the gaping incongruity between its spiking valuation and the paltry reality of its product. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024

But the company’s paltry 2023 financial performance soon brought the stock back down to Earth. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

Mocking the exorbitant sums of money the Beatles were being offered to reunite, Michaels held up a hilariously paltry check for just $3,000. —Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024

Many of those at immediate risk live in Gaza’s devastated northern regions, which are cut off from the south by Israeli forces and receive only a paltry trickle of the already-meagre aid that’s entering Gaza. —Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024

On the other side, with a paltry nine letters, is the argument that reducing risk would lead to more lending because there would be fewer threats to institutions. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 18 Mar. 2024

What paltry water dribbles out from deep beneath the arid earth is salt-laced, cracking their hands and leaving streaks in their clothes. —Lynsey Addario Victoria Kim, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024

Then 32 people got sick Sept. 21, 2023 More than a dozen current and five former L.A. County health inspectors interviewed by The Times say the paltry inspection numbers are the result of an agency in crisis. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024

And most of that paltry gain now appears poised to evaporate, with Cisco’s shares shedding nearly 6% in Wednesday’s extended trading after its latest quarterly numbers and lackluster forecast came out. —Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

obsolete paltry trash, from dialect palt, pelt piece of coarse cloth, trash; akin to Middle Low German palte rag

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

paltry

adjective

pal·​try ˈpȯl-trē 

paltrier; paltriest

1

: petty sense 3, mean

a paltry trick

2

: trivial sense 2, worthless

a paltry sum

paltriness noun