trifle

American  

[trahy-fuhl] / ˈtraɪ fəl /

noun

• trifles
  plural

1. 

   an article or thing of very little value.

   Synonyms:

   toy, bauble

2. a matter, affair, or circumstance of trivial importance or significance.

3. a small, inconsiderable, or trifling sum of money.

4. a small quantity or amount of anything; a little.

   She's still a trifle angry.

5. a literary, musical, or artistic work of a light or trivial character having no great or lasting merit; bagatelle.

6. a kind of pewter of medium hardness.

7. trifles, articles made of this.

8. English Cooking. a dessert usually consisting of custard and cake soaked in wine or liqueur, and jam, fruit, or the like.

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verb (used without object)

trifled, trifling

1. to deal lightly or without due seriousness or respect.

   Don't trifle with me!

2. to play or toy by handling or fingering.

   He sat trifling with a pen.

3. to act or talk in an idle or frivolous way.

4. to pass time idly or frivolously; waste time; idle.

verb (used with object)

trifled, trifling

1. to pass or spend (time) idly or frivolously (usually followed byaway ).

   Synonyms:

   fritter

trifle British  

/ ˈtraɪfəl /

noun

1. a thing of little or no value or significance

2. a small amount; bit

   a trifle more enthusiasm

3. a cold dessert made with sponge cake spread with jam or fruit, soaked in wine or sherry, covered with a custard sauce and cream, and decorated

4. a type of pewter of medium hardness

5. articles made from this pewter

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verb

1. to deal (with) as if worthless; dally

   to trifle with a person's affections

2. to waste (time) frivolously

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trifler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trifles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of trifle

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English tru ( f ) fle idle talk, deceit < Old French, variant of truf ( f ) e mockery, deceit; (v.) Middle English treoflen to mock < Old French trufler to make sport of

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Explanation

A trifle is something that's totally unimportant. If your friend is freaking out over which poster to buy and you call her dilemma a trifle, you're saying she shouldn't get so worked up over nothing. Trifle comes from the Middle English trufle, meaning "fraud, joke, trick." You'll usually hear it used to mean "insignificant, trivial." If you write a little ditty to sing at a birthday party, you could say it's just a trifle. As a verb, trifle means "toy with, waste." If you play with someone's feelings without seriously meaning anything, you are trifling with his affection. Trifle is also a sweet, sticky cake. Don't trifle the day away dreaming about trifle. Make some!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trifle trifles trifled trifling

The game badly misses Alcaraz—“Tennis needs him,” Sinner said Sunday—but no tennis player should trifle with a bad wrist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

"I have noticed that there have been cars parked on the side of the road and it creates congestion which does seem a trifle bit weird and annoying," said visitor Philip Johnson.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

Still, it is the frolicsome rapport between the two stars that gives this comic trifle of a play its allure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Out of magnanimity, I’ll liken this trifle to a Rothko.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

More than a trifle grimly, he brought his cigar to his mouth and dragged on it, but it had gone out.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

She’s interested in adding regular savories such as pasties and sausage rolls, and maybe bringing new treats such as trifles or Eton Messes to her roster.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024

Other, seemingly familiar terms — romper room, sherry trifles — have their innocence stripped from them to reveal a second, more sinister meaning.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2022

The "micro" prefix in the word microplastics might lead one to think that these tiny plastic particles, by definition less than 5 millimeters in length, are harmless trifles.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2022

The Ray Anthony Orchestra was a prolific ensemble, releasing countless dance singles in the early 1950s, including “The Hokey Pokey” and “The Bunny Hop” — swinging trifles that captured a national audience almost immediately.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2022

When we met him at one of his stores he always had a sundry basket of treats for her, trifles from his shelves, bars of dark chocolate, exotic tropical fruits, tissue-wrapped biscotti.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Let’s say this up front: A wrist on the racket hand isn’t the sort of injury to be trifled with.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

This powerful wave is not to be trifled with, and in the event of an emergency, the staff can turn it off instantly.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2023

From eating holes in people's brains to generating nasty tumors to putting folks in comas, some fungi are not to be trifled with.

From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2023

Sleep is not to be trifled with; there is nothing low-stakes about it.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 16, 2023

“I am no one to be trifled with,” replied the man in black.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

The current bout of softness is trifling compared with a complete halt in sailings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The traffic cone guys weren't letting such trifling issues dampen their day.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

But it’s the songs that talk about brushing off stifling, trifling men, including the title track and “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” that have the most staying power.

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2026

The planet’s trifling atmosphere—about 1 percent the density of our own—is notoriously too thin to help slow down a spacecraft attempting to land, but can still create turbulence and potential disaster.

From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2025

That old trifling Cholly been out of jail two whole days and ain’t been here yet to see if his own child was ’live or dead.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

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