Trifling — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈtrī-f(ə-)liŋ/ tri·fling

Meaning & Definition of Trifling

Trifling (adjective)

  1. lacking in significance or solid worth
  2. frivolous
  3. trivial

Trifling (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. lacking importance

    "deciding what you want to do for a living is no trifling matter"

    similar: fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, Mickey Mouse, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, slight, small, small-fry, trivial, unimportant, neither here nor there
    related: jerkwater, one-horse, nickel-and-dime, paltry, petty, small-time, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown
    opposite: big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, unfrivolous, weighty
    near: decisive, fatal, fateful, chief, dominant, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, principal, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important, basic, essential, fundamental, key

  2. so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention

    "trifling differences between the theatrical and DVD versions of the movie"

    similar: chicken, de minimis, footling, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, measly, Mickey Mouse, minute, negligible, niggling, no-account, nominal, paltry, peanut, petty, picayune, piddling, piddly, piffling, pimping, slight, trivial
    related: inferior, mean, imperceptible, inappreciable, little, puny, tiny, hairsplitting, nitpicking, pettifogging, quibbling, one-horse, small-fry, two-bit
    opposite: big, consequential, considerable, important, material, significant
    near: serious, substantial, weighty, eventful, momentous, pivotal, conspicuous, noteworthy, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, striking, appreciable, discernible, measurable

Trifling (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun

    "do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you"

    similar: coquetting, dallying, flirting, frivoling, messing around, toying
    related: vamping, courting, mashing, wooing, joshing, kidding, putting on, razzing, ribbing, teasing, fooling, leading on, stringing along, manipulating, playing (with)

  2. to spend time in aimless activity

    "spent a lazy afternoon trifling on the front porch"

    similar: doodling, fiddling (around), fooling around, fribbling, goofing (around), hanging about (British), kicking around, messing around, monkeying (around), playing, pottering (around), puttering (around)
    related: dallying, dawdling, dillydallying, hanging (around or out), idling, loafing, lolling, lounging, clowning (around), horsing around, diddling (with), tinkering
    near: buckling (down), knuckling down, setting (to), settling (down)

Related Entry: Trifle (verb)

Trifle is a different word from Trifling. The synonyms below are for trifle, not for trifling.

  1. to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun

    "do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you"

    similar: coquet, dally, flirt, frivol, mess around, toy
    related: vamp, court, mash, woo, josh, kid, put on, razz, rib, tease, fool, lead on, string along, manipulate, play (with)

  2. to spend time in aimless activity

    "spent a lazy afternoon trifling on the front porch"

    similar: doodle, fiddle (around), fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang about (British), kick around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around)
    related: dally, dawdle, dillydally, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, clown (around), horse around, diddle (with), tinker
    near: buckle (down), knuckle down, set (to), settle (down)

Related Entry: Trifle (away) (verb)

Trifle (away) is a different word from Trifling. The synonyms below are for trifle (away), not for trifling.

  1. to use up carelessly

    "trifled away his hard-earned professional respect with a single act of plagiarism"

    similar: blow, dissipate, fiddle away, fritter (away), lavish, lose, misspend, run through, spend, squander, throw away, waste, play ducks and drakes with
    related: splurge, consume, deplete, exhaust, impoverish, overspend, shoot, indulge, overindulge, disburse, expend, lay out
    opposite: conserve
    near: economize, scrimp, skimp, preserve, protect, save, hoard, lay up

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Trifling

The most common words with a similar meaning to Trifling:

British: hanging about
fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, Mickey Mouse, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, slight, small, small-fry, trivial, unimportant, chicken, de minimis, footling, measly, niggling, no-account, nominal, paltry, peanut, petty, picayune, piddling, piddly, piffling, pimping, neither here nor there, coquetting, dallying, flirting, frivoling, messing around, toying

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Trifling

Words with the opposite meaning of Trifling:

big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, unfrivolous, weighty, considerable

Related Words for Trifling

jerkwater, one-horse, nickel-and-dime, small-time, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown, inferior, mean, imperceptible, inappreciable, puny, tiny, hairsplitting, nitpicking, pettifogging, quibbling, two-bit, vamping, courting, mashing, wooing, joshing, kidding, putting on, razzing, ribbing

Near Antonyms of Trifling

decisive, fatal, fateful, chief, dominant, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, principal, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important, basic, essential

Origin & Etymology of Trifling

First known use: 1535

Frequently Asked Questions about Trifling

What does "Trifling" mean?

"Trifling" means lacking in significance or solid worth. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: lacking in significance or solid worth. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Trifling"?

Other words for "Trifling" include fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant and little. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Trifling" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Trifling"?

There are 98 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Trifling". Common alternatives include fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, Mickey Mouse and minor.

What is the opposite of "Trifling"?

Antonyms of "Trifling" include big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful and momentous. Near antonyms include decisive, fatal, fateful and chief.

How do you use "Trifling" in a sentence?

Examples of "Trifling" in a sentence: "deciding what you want to do for a living is no trifling matter"; "trifling differences between the theatrical and DVD versions of the movie"; "do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you".

Is "Trifling" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Trifling" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Trifling"?

"Trifling" is pronounced /ˈtrī-f(ə-)liŋ/ and divided into syllables as tri·fling.

What is the origin of the word "Trifling"?

First known use: 1535.