1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa
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3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
just some paltry ruse to bilk the system
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
wanted me to sell him my old records for a paltry sum
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paltry
This is one of the few times Samsung isn’t running an enhanced trade-in price promotion for its Galaxy S25, with the Note 20 Ultra fetching a paltry $180 and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra being valued at $155.
—
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, advocates are watching closely, concerned that the wrong move could result in a fallout that decimates Connecticut’s paltry infant and toddler care system, supports too-few households, or depends on a source of money that is vulnerable to shifting economic winds.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
The Blue Jackets have just a paltry three points in their last nine games.
—Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
The larger residential dish puts up average download speeds of nearly 150Mbps, versus the paltry 16.5Mbps of the portable Starlink Mini. Upload speeds are closer, but only because the residential plan averages around 23Mbps, more than double the 9Mbps offered by the Mini.
—PCMAG, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, advocates are watching closely, concerned that the wrong move could result in a fallout that decimates Connecticut’s paltry infant and toddler care system, supports too-few households, or depends on a source of money that is vulnerable to shifting economic winds.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
The Blue Jackets have just a paltry three points in their last nine games.
—Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
The larger residential dish puts up average download speeds of nearly 150Mbps, versus the paltry 16.5Mbps of the portable Starlink Mini. Upload speeds are closer, but only because the residential plan averages around 23Mbps, more than double the 9Mbps offered by the Mini.
—PCMAG, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
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Look, everyone points to injuries as the reason for the pitiful performance so far this season, but a lot of teams are dealing with injuries.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2025
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So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein).—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Any format that builds in a conflict of interest is unacceptable.—
Robert Greene,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The imitation Punisher logo on Cole’s bullet was no act of flattery, but the most vile of insults.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2025
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Fans, some of them little kids parroting what their parents were saying, called him vile names.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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As the Signal chats showed, there are differences of opinion within Trump’s national-security team, and much more serious friction with the administration’s nominal allies in Europe.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
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The new duties raise the nominal U.S. tariff rate on China to 54%.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
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Some parents worry that Alexa's high tolerance for rudeness instills poor behavior in their kids, according to Quartz.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
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Then someone pointed a finger at a surprising culprit: the soldiers’ poor health.—
Maxim Sytch,
Harvard Business Review,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Mingyang took the center of the Octagon from the beginning, landed hard leg kicks, and opened a nasty gash on Smith’s forehead with a step-in elbow.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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With a triple-digit heater and a nasty slider, he’s always been a tantalizing talent.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This lightweight cream truly melts right in without the slightest bit of cast.—
Sarah Han,
Allure,
25 Apr. 2025
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Some are skeptical given his slight wingspan and arm length and wonder if a move to left guard may eventually be necessary.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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