trifling

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈtraɪflɪŋ/ UK /ˈtraɪflɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
of little value or importance; trivial

They quarreled over the most trifling matters.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · of little value or... trivial insignificant negligible paltry petty slight minor

Opposites

significant important substantial considerable

Word family

Related forms trifle trifler

Etymology

From trifle (from Old French truffle, trufle 'mockery, deceit, trifle', variant of trufe 'deception', of uncertain origin) + the suffix -ing.

trufle Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# trifling

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈtraɪflɪŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈtraɪflɪŋ/

## Meanings
1. of little value or importance; trivial

## Examples
- They quarreled over the most trifling matters.

## Synonyms
- trivial
- insignificant
- negligible
- paltry
- petty
- slight
- minor

## Antonyms
- significant
- important
- substantial
- considerable

## Related Forms
- trifle
- trifler

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: trufle

## Etymology
From trifle (from Old French truffle, trufle 'mockery, deceit, trifle', variant of trufe 'deception', of uncertain origin) + the suffix -ing.

## AI Etymology
Trifling comes from trifle (from Old French truffle, trufle 'mockery, deceit, trifle', variant of trufe 'deception', of uncertain origin) + the suffix -ing. The historical chain includes Old French trufle. The quoted older senses, "mockery, deceit, trifle" and "deception", supply the semantic anchors for trifling. The formation is best read as suffixal, compound, and borrowed: the word trifling carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a adj, "of little value or importance; trivial". Related English forms include trifle and trifler. The result is a adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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