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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. 2022

Words related to paltry

insignificant, meager, measly, miserable, pitiful, puny, trivial, base, beggarly, cheap, common, contemptible, derisory, despicable, inconsiderable, ineffectual, limited, low, low-down, mean

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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