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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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the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa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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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
His batting average was a paltry .213, with a .249 on-base percentage and 44 strikeouts.
—
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
The 3-hour and 1-minute film’s opening weekend generated a paltry $11 million in domestic ticket sales from June 28-30, 2024, which then plunged to $5.3 million in its second weekend frame.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Six weeks after capping a career-best season by assisting on the winning goal in the Cup final, Delgado was traded 12 miles up the Harbor Freeway to LAFC, a sacrifice to the league’s paltry salary cap.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025
And yet even that explanation seems a little paltry to me!
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
The 3-hour and 1-minute film’s opening weekend generated a paltry $11 million in domestic ticket sales from June 28-30, 2024, which then plunged to $5.3 million in its second weekend frame.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Six weeks after capping a career-best season by assisting on the winning goal in the Cup final, Delgado was traded 12 miles up the Harbor Freeway to LAFC, a sacrifice to the league’s paltry salary cap.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025
And yet even that explanation seems a little paltry to me!
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
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For better or worse, high-end eco-resorts of this type tend to focus on hyper-local ingredients often grown in a pitiful little garden behind the kitchen.—
Christopher Cameron,
Robb Report,
30 May 2025
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From ’01 to ’20, the Knicks played in only 30 postseason games, posting a pitiful 9-21 record.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
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Shamkhani underscored that the absence of sanctions relief rendered the U.S. plan unacceptable.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Today's extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
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Finally, the mint julep is a vile almost undrinkable beverage.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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While that may seem nominal, its underlying business is more profitable.—
Ryan Baker,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
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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
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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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Cities affected by the alert included Indio, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Coachella. To help keep indoor air clean when air quality is poor, officials advised avoiding additional sources of pollution such as fireplaces, candles, and incense.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 June 2025
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In past decades, this stage was easy to spot: clashing colors, poor makeup attempts, and wardrobes inspired by favorite TV stars.—
Dia Gallo,
Parents,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
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But while Burns appeared to solve Oakmont for the day, some players who performed well on Thursday got eaten alive by the nasty course on Friday.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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