triviality

American  

[triv-ee-al-i-tee] / ˌtrɪv iˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

trivialities

1. something trivial; a trivial matter, affair, remark, etc..

   cocktail conversation marked by trivialities.

2. Also trivialness trivial quality or character.

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triviality British  

/ ˌtrɪvɪˈælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being trivial

2. something, such as a remark, that is trivial

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Other Word Forms

• nontriviality
  noun

Etymology

Origin of triviality

First recorded in 1590–1600; trivial + -ity

Explanation

Triviality is a quality of being unimportant or insignificant. You might dislike most reality TV shows because of their triviality, preferring to watch documentaries about serious subjects. You can also use the word triviality to mean an unimportant detail: "Let's discuss world peace instead of focusing on trivialities like what's for lunch or which celebrities are getting divorced!" It comes from the Latin word trivium, which means "commonplace," but also "crossroads." Literally, it's a combination of tri, or "three," and via, "road." Hence, a trivium is an oh-so-ordinary "place where three roads meet."

Example Sentences

He elucidated a Law of Triviality, which holds that the time spent on any item of an official agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum of money involved.

From Time Magazine Archive

Triviality destroys at once robustness of thought and delicacy of feeling.

From The Right to Privacy by Brandeis, Louis D.

Triviality or lack of permanent consequence is as objectionable in the one case as in the other.

From The Nature of Goodness by Palmer, George Herbert

They mark a special moment in the vital growth of language, if only by revealing the Charm of Triviality, and they stood among a crowd—Defoe, Temple, Swift, and the rest—who at various points surpassed them.

From Impressions and Comments by Ellis, Havelock

Poor Bailly, how thy serenely beautiful Philosophizing, with its soft moonshiny clearness and thinness, ends in foul thick confusion—of Presidency, Mayorship, diplomatic officiality, rabid Triviality, and the throat of everlasting Darkness!

From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. VIII by Various