as in nothing
something of little importance
let us not speak of trifles when our nation may be going to war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to flirt
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 to play
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 trifle
Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 June 2025
In the South, everyone has a favorite: icebox pies and cakes, no-bake cheesecakes, banana pudding, trifles, tiramisu, and the list goes on and on.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 6 June 2025
Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 26 Apr. 2023
Arsenal might be informed that things could have ended differently had Arteta spent a trifling $120 million on a striker in January.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for trifle
Noun
That's just a trifle fainter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 June 2025
In the South, everyone has a favorite: icebox pies and cakes, no-bake cheesecakes, banana pudding, trifles, tiramisu, and the list goes on and on.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 6 June 2025
Verb
Such a drastic move would represent China throwing down the gauntlet to the United States and Europe, brushing aside as trifling any Western threats of economic punishment.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 26 Apr. 2023
Arsenal might be informed that things could have ended differently had Arteta spent a trifling $120 million on a striker in January.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for trifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trifle
Noun
-
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
Verb
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But going all day Tuesday and Wednesday is flirting with overkill and asking too much, even of the devout slackers.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
-
On the list includes at least flirting with reaching the Big 12 title game, a feat the team has never achieved, and the college football playoffs.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
Willits played baseball at Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
-
Rookie Christian Moore has only played in 18 games, but has shown some flashes of brilliance, including a game-tying and then a game-winning home run against the Red Sox late last month.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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His reinstatement of Rose and Jackson is no exception: History has become an irrelevant triviality — ignored or, even better, forgotten.—
Cory Franklin,
Twin Cities,
1 June 2025
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Yesterday’s pangrams were triviality, trivially and virality.—
Alex Travelli,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That transgression continued two years later, when Duchamp doodled a mustache and beard on a postcard of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and called it L.H.O.O.Q., which, when spoken aloud in French, sounded like an obscenity.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
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Inspired, Goetz started mocking up potential brand names and doodling logos during a class in 2009.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Raffi Paul,
CNBC,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trifle. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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