as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
the assistant's job was to shield the president from such footling problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dawdling
to spend time doing nothing
spent the morning footling about while others were working
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of footling
Barton Swaim, WSJ, 21 June 2019
Adjective
By comparison with previous Establishment Clause cases, however, this lawsuit looked footling and rather mean.
—Barton Swaim, WSJ, 21 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footling
Adjective
-
The focus was to provide more attacking numbers in advanced areas to maintain territorial dominance, with a midfield pair — or ‘double pivot’ — providing the defensive foundation behind a nominal front four.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Alongside contemporaries including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell, the neo-soul class focused on recapturing the live, thick instrumentation, rich songwriting and weighted, passionate delivery of its nominal genre predecessor.—
Trevor Anderson,
Billboard,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
As her new album opens, Brandi Carlile is having a slight argument with herself.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The whisky is lovely despite its age (remember, sometimes older whiskies are not actually that good), with notes of caramel, licorice, mango, apple, berry, cinnamon, and a slight wisp of smoke on the palate.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Within a few moments, an antlerless deer emerged, loafing along toward Ronnie, completely unalarmed.—
Jim Moore,
Outdoor Life,
8 Oct. 2025
-
She is seen going over the shots planned for the next day and remembering that some loafing around is planned.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
-
Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Patricia Cohen,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2020
Verb
-
Whatever your candy preference, no one wants to spend the evening strolling barren streets hoping to find some goodies.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
-
After 10 minutes of strolling along paved pathways from the gate, the line of trees that marks the edge of the plateau comes into sight.—
Barry Neild,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Any petty rivalries were put aside, and in the true sense of the actor’s code, offers came to help each other read over the piece.—
Jay Glennie,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Filmmaking is blind instinct, petty calculations, smooth generalship, daydreaming, pig-headedness, grace, bluff, risk.—
Susan Sontag,
Vogue,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Difficulty accelerating, misfiring, shuttering, and rough idling can indicate bad gasoline.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Shopkeepers lightheartedly gossip in rich drawling accents, and pickup trucks make up the majority of the vehicles idling at one of the few stoplights in town.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Footling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footling. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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