trifle
noun
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Definition of trifle
(Entry 1 of 2)
trifle
verb
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Definition of trifle (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from trifle
Verb
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noun
Synonyms for trifle
Synonyms: Noun
bagatelle, child's play, frippery, nonproblem, nothing, picayune, shuck(s), small beer, small change, triviality
Synonyms: Verb
coquet (or coquette), dally, flirt, frivol, mess around, toy
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Examples of trifle in a Sentence
Noun
There's no reason to argue over such trifles. The money is a mere trifle to me.Verb
do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you spent a lazy afternoon trifling on the front porch
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
France’s top female league sold five-year rights to Canal+, a pay-TV firm, for €6m—a trifle but six times more than two years ago. — The Economist, "Women’s football is becoming big business," 12 July 2019 Having come into the toy biz through that unorthodox channel, Forky is a trifle unclear about his role. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "'Toy Story 4' delivers another cinematic grand slam," 13 June 2019 The problem, in part, is that the penalties for misuse of the whip are trifle compared to a jockey’s financial incentives to improve his place in a race. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Horse racing should make whip violations more painful for jockeys," 10 June 2019 The waiters at the Musso & Frank Grill are like that — bossy and a trifle intimidating, softened by those fire-engine-red bolero jackets and all of those courtly manners. — Michael Callahan, The Hollywood Reporter, "Musso & Frank Icon Sergio Gonzalez Served Stars From Sinatra to the Rolling Stones: "We Treat People Like Our Own Family"," 8 June 2019 Director Taylor brings just the right tongue-in-cheek touch to it all, but also manages to find within this trifle of a piece a depth in the characterizations that adds a welcome, if quite unexpected, emotional impact. — Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, "JPAS premieres 'Catch Me If You Can,' a criminally enjoyable hit," 17 Apr. 2018 Make sure the trifle sits for at least four hours before serving. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "This Christmas Trifle Recipe Is the Ultimate Make-Ahead Holiday Dessert," 12 Dec. 2018 Assemble the trifle: Scoop 1 cup of cream and set aside. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "This Christmas Trifle Recipe Is the Ultimate Make-Ahead Holiday Dessert," 12 Dec. 2018 There's clueless Rachel completely screwing up a recipe for trifle. — Phoebe Robinson, Glamour, "Friends Thanksgiving Episodes Guide: List of the Best and Worst," 21 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The total market for e-cigarettes remains trifling in comparison with sales of the normal sort, at about $200m a year, according to Euromonitor. — The Economist, "Indonesia seeks to curb e-cigarettes, but not the normal sort," 1 Aug. 2019 Samsung made only trifling changes compared to the cameras on the Galaxy S10. — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, "Samsung Galaxy Note 10 announced: two sizes, new S Pen, and DeX on your laptop," 7 Aug. 2019 Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. 3. — David Roper, idahostatesman, "Finding the virtues to put yourself right with the Lord," 21 June 2018 The losers in this exchange were subsequently ignored, told that temporary wage assistance or retraining programs would paper over these trifling problems. — David Dayen, The New Republic, "The Inevitable Death of Global Trade As We Know It," 12 July 2018 Jacksonville Jaguars: 11–5* The Jaguars defense is not to be trifled with. — Jonathan Jones, SI.com, "Predicting Every NFL Team’s 2018 Season Record," 7 June 2018 But those who organized and attended last weekend’s March For Our Lives are not to be trifled with. — Teresa M. Pelham, courant.com, "Mass Shooting Generation Armed with Ballots," 31 Mar. 2018 Luckily, on Wednesday Queen Elizabeth readily gave her consent in the form of a no-nonsense and not-to-be-trifled-with official letter. — Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, "Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's Final Hurdle? The Queen's Consent," 15 Mar. 2018 At the time, Summitt, whose flinty-eyed visage on the magazine’s cover left no doubt that the founder of the Lady Vols’ Tennessee basketball empire was no one to trifle with, was in her prime. — Erik Spanberg, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Basketball' is a fast-break compilation that goes from from the beginning to Stephen Curry," 12 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trifle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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