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the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa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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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
Employees, many of whom were classified as part-time or independent contractors, earned paltry wages despite working gruelling weeks.
—
Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
This final exchange pointed again to the paltry outcomes of the summit.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
His second wife, rich and vulgar, is the polar opposite of the first duchess’s distinction, just as Paracelsus’s elegant opacity is a better version of the paltry resident magician and alchemist whom the duke can afford.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
In May of 2025, that number fell to a staggering $961,084, while June was an equally paltry $1 million.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
This final exchange pointed again to the paltry outcomes of the summit.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
His second wife, rich and vulgar, is the polar opposite of the first duchess’s distinction, just as Paracelsus’s elegant opacity is a better version of the paltry resident magician and alchemist whom the duke can afford.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
In May of 2025, that number fell to a staggering $961,084, while June was an equally paltry $1 million.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
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The pitiful screaming of surviving family members can be heard.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans view the proposal as unacceptable.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
18 Sep. 2025
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But with the massive sums of money businesses are putting into CX, a lack of improvement should be seen as unacceptable.—
Tomas Gorny,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The lingering effects of an incident so vile occurring within Burning man’s sweet bubble are bound to affect people for a long time.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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This vile, heartless remark is completely unacceptable—especially from someone entrusted with our children.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Since 2020, public debt has surged by approximately 61%, outpacing nominal GDP growth of 38% through Q2 2025.—
Bob Haber,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Richard Kone, a goalscorer on the opening day of last season at the SToK Cae Ras in Wycombe Wanderers colours, may have been the nominal front man in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, but his link-up play and intelligent movement were matched by Harvey Vale, Koki Saito and Rumarn Burrell.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The poll also found that 51% of respondents perceive the current state of the economy as poor, and 61% express a lack of confidence that the economy will improve next year.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
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Low User Adoption Due To Poor Onboarding The primary hurdle is often low user adoption due to poor onboarding and a steep learning curve.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
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In a nutshell, people are easily irritated and inclined to get caught up in nasty power struggles because they’re entrenched in their own views.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The night’s slight chill is perfect for a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon by an indoor fireplace or outdoor firepit.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Julie McNamara is back developing series for CBS Studios — with one slight difference.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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