Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Lacking in importance or worth. synonym: trivial.
  • adjective Very small or inadequate in amount; negligible.
  • adjective Marked by meanness or lack of generosity; contemptible.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Mean; worthless; despicable: as, a paltry trifle; often in a mitigated sense, of little value of consequence.
  • Synonyms Despicable, Pitiful, etc. (see contemptible), insignificant, petty, miserable, wretched, trifling, trivial.
  • noun A wretched, worthless trifle.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Mean; vile; worthless; despicable; contemptible; pitiful; trifling

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective trashy, trivial, of little value
  • adjective meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective not worth considering
  • adjective contemptibly small in amount

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably from obsolete and dialectal paltry, trash, perhaps from Low German paltrig, ragged, from palte, rag.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle Low German paltrig ("ragged, rubbishy, worthless"), from palter, palte ("cloth, rag, shred"), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“scrap, rag, patch”). Cognate with Eastern Frisian palterig ("ragged, torn"), German dialectal palterig ("paltry"). Compare also Low German palte ("rag"), West Frisian palt ("rag"), German dialectal Palter ("rag"), Danish pjalt ("rag, tatter"), Swedish palta ("rag"). See also palterly.

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Examples

  • Haughty, proud, and uncompromising, though neither destitute of honor nor generosity, he despised and hated what he termed the paltry associations of herdsmen and shepherds, united with a few towns which subsisted chiefly by commerce; and instead of courting the Helvetian

    Anne of Geierstein 2008

  • I listened to Ebenezer Ato Sam aka Baby Ansaba on myjoyonline. com on 2nd February 2010 and I must say that he is an archetypal example of what gutter Accra are incensed over what they describe as paltry salaries and poor working conditions.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • I listened to Ebenezer Ato Sam aka Baby Ansaba on myjoyonline. com on 2nd February 2010 and I must say that he is an archetypal example of what gutter Accra are incensed over what they describe as paltry salaries and poor working conditions.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • Let us not fag in paltry works which serve our pot and bag alone.

    Sorrisi e canzoni XLVI 2008

  • Let us not fag in paltry works which serve our pot and bag alone.

    Archive 2008-11-01 2008

  • As you know, of course, the U.S. being criticized for what some called a paltry and slow response to this humanitarian crisis.

    CNN Transcript Jan 2, 2005 2005

  • Boston, which was once again paltry on the power play.

    NHL - National Hockey League - Ottawa vs. Boston 2002

  • And then, you whine and fret for what you yourself call a paltry matter!

    Raspberry Jam Carolyn Wells 1902

  • Small societies of excluded lepers live miserably in paltry huts.

    Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 1871

  • The King County Council called their paltry recommendation a "political victory" for us.

    Where The Blubber Meets the Road 2009

Comments

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  • Paltry funeral: coach and three carriages.

    Joyce, Ulysses, 6

    January 1, 2007