1
as in minor
lacking importance
deciding what you want to do for a living is no trifling matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
trifling differences between the theatrical and DVD versions of the movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in flirting
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in playing
to spend time in aimless activity
spent a lazy afternoon trifling on the front porch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trifling
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, 28 May 2010
And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
Aside from bacteria, the smallest genome belongs to the intestinal parasite Encephalitozoon intestinalis, with a trifling 2.3 billion base pairs.
—Kirsten Weir, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2011
Growing immunity against the coronavirus, repeatedly reinforced by vaccines and infections, could eventually tame COVID into a sickness as trifling as the common cold or, at worst, one on par with the seasonal flu.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2022
Specific as Ozon’s approach here may be (nothing feels accidental or arbitrary), his lovingly made curio, which often borrows verbatim from its predecessor, comes off a bit tired and trifling.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Bonus: these tweets are usually about the most trifling and hilarious pop culture moments, so ... win win!
—Danielle Young, The Root, 2 June 2017
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, 28 May 2010
And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
Aside from bacteria, the smallest genome belongs to the intestinal parasite Encephalitozoon intestinalis, with a trifling 2.3 billion base pairs.
—Kirsten Weir, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2011
Growing immunity against the coronavirus, repeatedly reinforced by vaccines and infections, could eventually tame COVID into a sickness as trifling as the common cold or, at worst, one on par with the seasonal flu.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2022
Specific as Ozon’s approach here may be (nothing feels accidental or arbitrary), his lovingly made curio, which often borrows verbatim from its predecessor, comes off a bit tired and trifling.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Bonus: these tweets are usually about the most trifling and hilarious pop culture moments, so ... win win!
—Danielle Young, The Root, 2 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trifling
Adjective
-
One allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail, and three deputies were struck, causing minor injuries, the department said.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
Per the Sheriff’s Office, the unidentified suspect broke in and assaulted a resident living in the home, who escaped after suffering a minor injury.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
7 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
Verb
-
Their stars are blatantly flirting with their audiences, tiptoeing the line between cringe and attractive.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the small-cap Russell 2000 is flirting with bear market territory and is down almost 20% from its recent high.—
Adam Sarhan,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Further factions emerge from there, as people start playing the game within the Squid Game, forming pockets of friendships and alliances, real and fake.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2024
-
The World Junior tournament is always good for some surprises; a couple of unexpected players emerging as top scorers or playing well in big moments, or a traditional top nation getting upset in the medal round.—
Corey Pronman,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Farmers watered their crops less, and saw smaller harvests as a result.—
Annika Merrilees,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2025
-
Yes, Georgia and Paul split this season as the blowback from the trial — and Paul's support of Proposition 38, disastrous for small businesses — imperiled his mayoral career.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
7 June 2025
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
-
An award-winning toy creator and a doctor have teamed up to launch a new company that manufactures products designed to make health care less scary for little kids, and less stressful for parents.—
Joan Verdon,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
If pop culture is to be believed, nothing good has ever come from a couple dashing off to a cute little cabin in the woods.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Trifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifling. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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