as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
the assistant's job was to shield the president from such footling problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dawdling
to spend time doing nothing
spent the morning footling about while others were working
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of footling
Barton Swaim, WSJ, 21 June 2019
Adjective
By comparison with previous Establishment Clause cases, however, this lawsuit looked footling and rather mean.
—Barton Swaim, WSJ, 21 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footling
Adjective
-
While that may seem nominal, its underlying business is more profitable.—
Ryan Baker,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
-
Ethiopia is projected to lose the most aid in nominal terms, with Jordan, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo also hit particularly hard.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
In a slight twist on the usual, the chefs not only get to choose their own sous-chefs, but only those sous-chefs have been flown to Italy for the occasion.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
13 June 2025
-
Bure may not have meant it as a slight, but one of the more notable offenders was Growing Pains, which costarred her brother, Kirk Cameron.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
-
Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Patricia Cohen,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2020
Adjective
-
Which party is willing to set aside petty differences and ego, and work in the interests of American prosperity?—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
6 June 2025
-
This Christlike journey of scapegoating and torment ends in comeuppance for the haters and doubters, whose petty provocations tend to evoke a Bond villain in adolescence.—
Joshua Hunt,
Vulture,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
These include avoiding idling in drive-thru lanes, carpooling, taking public transit or walking, and biking for short trips.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
-
What To Know To help reduce ozone formation, residents are encouraged to avoid idling in drive-thru lanes, and instead consider alternatives like sharing a ride or walking in.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 May 2010
Verb
-
Those include a sitting area off the primary bedroom, a dining table on the narrow part of the deck, a patio outfitted for entertaining, and multiple options for lounging by the pool.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2025
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The Modern Family alum could be seen lounging while wearing black bikini bottoms and holding a product from her Toty suncare brand.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In 1972, the company switched to Smith, naming the shoes in his honor and printing a tiny picture of his mustachioed face on them.—
Sam Farmer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
McCartney, who played a residency at New York’s tiny Bowery Ballroom back in February, has no tour dates presently on his 2025 calendar.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Footling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footling. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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