paltry C2+ Topic:Numbers & Quantity US /ˈpɔltri/ UK /ˈpɔːltri/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj petty or trivial in amount or worth; contemptibly small They offered a paltry sum for work that had taken months. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · petty or trivial in amount... meagertriflingtrivialmeaslyinsignificantnegligiblepiddling ↔ Opposites substantialsignificantconsiderableamplegenerous Word family Derived forms paltrinesspaltrily Etymology AI details Probably from dialectal palt, pelt 'rubbish, trash', of Low German or Scandinavian origin (compare Low German paltrig 'ragged'); of uncertain ultimate source. paltrig Low German View etymology graph -> Topics Numbers & Quantity Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # paltry **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈpɔltri/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpɔːltri/ ## Meanings 1. petty or trivial in amount or worth; contemptibly small ## Examples - They offered a paltry sum for work that had taken months. ## Synonyms - meager - trifling - trivial - measly - insignificant - negligible - piddling ## Antonyms - substantial - significant - considerable - ample - generous ## Derived Forms - paltriness - paltrily ## Roots and Affixes - Root: paltrig ## Etymology Probably from dialectal palt, pelt 'rubbish, trash', of Low German or Scandinavian origin (compare Low German paltrig 'ragged'); of uncertain ultimate source. ## AI Etymology Paltry is probably from dialectal palt, pelt 'rubbish, trash', of Low German or Scandinavian origin (compare Low German paltrig 'ragged'); of uncertain ultimate source. Important recorded forms include paltrig (Low German). Its earlier history remains partly uncertain, so the etymological chain is best treated cautiously. In current use it covers petty or trivial in amount or worth; contemptibly small. The wider family includes derived forms such as paltriness and paltrily. ## Topics - Numbers & Quantity - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown