as in nothing
something of little importance
the question of who will pick up the coffee is a mere bagatelle in the overall planning of the conference
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bagatelle
Pinball is back Pinball got its start in 18th-century France with the billiardslike tabletop game bagatelle, which used a springlike launcher.
—
San Antonio Express-News, 5 Mar. 2020
Overall this novel is an entertaining bagatelle, told by a proficient storyteller in an engaging way.
—David Shribman, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2019
Lewis kept the scope of emotion in the first bagatelle more along the lines of concerned.
—Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 11 May 2018
As far as performance marathons go, the 10 hours of John Zorn’s bagatelles on Saturday at National Sawdust in Brooklyn may not have been the most sprawling.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2016
San Antonio Express-News, 5 Mar. 2020
Overall this novel is an entertaining bagatelle, told by a proficient storyteller in an engaging way.
—David Shribman, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2019
Lewis kept the scope of emotion in the first bagatelle more along the lines of concerned.
—Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 11 May 2018
As far as performance marathons go, the 10 hours of John Zorn’s bagatelles on Saturday at National Sawdust in Brooklyn may not have been the most sprawling.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bagatelle
Noun
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My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
16 Dec. 2024
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The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2024
Noun
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As a society navigating the choppy waters of quick-draw feuds and biting vitriol—no matter the triviality or seriousness of the topic in question—we are often cowered into joining the chorus versus belting out a solo for fear of being singled out.—
Christina L. Sgro,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
In other words, no drugs, alcohol abuse, tardiness, triviality, egocentricity.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Shining then at a magnitude of -0.2 (just a trifle brighter than the similarly hued star Arcturus), Mercury should be readily visible, appearing low in the western sky and setting more than 1.5 hours after the sun.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
26 Feb. 2025
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In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the government collected around $80 billion in tariffs and fees, a trifle next to the $2.5 trillion that comes from individual income taxes and the $1.7 trillion from Social Security and Medicare taxes.—
Paul Wiseman,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Observers believe a flood of intervention into D.C. laws — from the sweeping to the picayune — is more likely than a total revocation of home rule (though there is a longshot bill for that, too).—
Cuneyt Dil,
Axios,
18 July 2024
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Light-bodied and easy to drink, it’s got all the hallmarks of a classic grain whisky, but with a flavor profile that’s big and layered enough to satisfy the most picayune of single-malt snobs.—
Tony Sachs,
Forbes,
30 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Bagatelle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bagatelle. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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