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paltry

[ pawl-tree ]
/ ˈpɔl tri /
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See synonyms for: paltry / paltriness on Thesaurus.com
adjective, pal·tri·er, pal·tri·est.
ridiculously or insultingly small: a paltry sum.
utterly worthless.
mean or contemptible: a paltry coward.
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Origin of paltry

First recorded in 1560–70; from Low German paltrig “ragged,” equivalent to *palter “rag” (dialectal German Palter) + -ig-y1

synonym study for paltry

1. See petty.

OTHER WORDS FROM paltry

pal·tri·ly, adverbpal·tri·ness, nounun·pal·try, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH paltry

paltry , poultry
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to paltry

measly, insignificant, meager, miserable, pitiful, trivial, puny, base, beggarly, cheap, common, contemptible, despicable, ineffectual, limited, low, mean, minor, narrow, petty

How to use paltry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for paltry

paltry
/ (ˈpɔːltrɪ) /
adjective -trier or -triest
insignificant; meagre
worthless or petty

Derived forms of paltry

paltrily, adverbpaltriness, noun

Word Origin for paltry

C16: from Low Germanic palter, paltrig ragged
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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