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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Ambulances took 27 people to the hospital, including two with serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, said Dave Kitchin of North West Ambulance Service.—
Brian Melley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
-
Paramedics rushed 27 victims to hospital, including two who were said to be seriously wounded, while a further 20 fans were treated at the scene for minor injuries.—
Chloe Mayer
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
However, at some point while walking the red carpet on Saturday, May 17, the two got mixed up in slight blunder when the Twilight star, 39, ended up standing on top of his costar's elegant Dior gown that, according to Vogue, took 250 hours to create.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
19 May 2025
-
Meanwhile, a DeepMind researcher discussed adversarial machine learning, a phenomenon where slight manipulations to input data can drastically alter an AI’s output.—
Korok Ray,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
Their stars are blatantly flirting with their audiences, tiptoeing the line between cringe and attractive.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
-
The trouble is that Musk’s own record of facilitating and flirting with hate speech, often in a trollish manner, invites belligerent response.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Deion Sanders began his NFL career with the Falcons in 1989, also playing baseball for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves well into the 1990s.—
Dan Pompei,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Then something strange happened — the Falcons started playing like one of the best defenses in the league.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
To meet rising demand, companies sprang up and began churning out rides – smaller versions for traveling carnivals and larger ones for town squares and amusement parks.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
-
Ellie finds a small fishing boat to take her across the water to the aquarium.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
The main question of contemporary cinema isn’t (pace the nominal avant-garde) whether to tell a story but what story to tell, how to tell it, and, for that matter, what a story is.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
20 May 2025
-
Here’s why: Although technical specifications are still being worked out, the new standard could deliver nominal peak data rates of more than 40Gbps.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
The cuts could include the elimination of bus routes that get relatively little use and less frequent service on some popular routes.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
-
Mia said she was kept off-kilter working around the clock for Combs with little sleep.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The lives of these accomplished, seemingly independent women revolve around men, petty antics and low-stakes squabbles.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
-
But the most powerful response isn’t rage or petty retaliation.—
Suneeta Motala,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifling. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share