paltry

[pawl-tree]

adjective

paltrier, paltriest 

1. ridiculously or insultingly small.

   a paltry sum.

   Synonyms: insignificant, slight, inconsiderable, minor
   Antonyms: major, important

2. utterly worthless.

3. mean or contemptible.

   a paltry coward.

paltry

/ ˈpɔːltrɪ /

adjective

1. insignificant; meagre

2. worthless or petty

Other Word Forms

• paltrily adverb
• paltriness noun
• unpaltry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of paltry¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Low German paltrig “ragged,” equivalent to *palter “rag” ( dialectal German Palter ) + -ig -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of paltry¹

C16: from Low Germanic palter, paltrig ragged

Synonym Study

See petty.

Example Sentences

The paltry defense launched by the county has some rethinking the law that started the deluge.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

During L.A.’s recent heat wave, when temperatures regularly surpassed 90 degrees, a woman selling rose bouquets out of buckets at Pershing Square looked beleaguered while standing in the paltry shade of a tree.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Nevertheless, the show does the news profession a solid by depicting Ned, Mare, and Softees’ other volunteer journalists as quixotic heroes doing the best they can with paltry resources and managerial roadblocks.

Read more on Salon

Deliberately or not, Fox cameras inside the stadium showed those watching from home only wide shots filled with graphics that obscured the paltry crowd.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The closest thing Swift had done to a podcast was the livestream event announcing 2012’s “Red,” which has a paltry two million views compared to the “New Heights” episode’s 19 million and counting.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• insignificant 
• meager 
• measly 
• miserable 
• pitiful 
• puny 
• trivial