definitions

paltry

[ pawl-tree ]
/ ˈpɔl tri /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paltry 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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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

palstave, palsy, palsy-walsy, palter, paltrow, paltry, paludal, paludamentum, paludism, paludrine, palustrine

Origin of paltry

1560–70; < Low German paltrig ragged, equivalent to *palter rag (dialectal German Palter) + -ig -y1

Related forms

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

Can be confused

paltry poultry
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for paltry

British Dictionary definitions for paltry

paltry

/ (ˈpɔːltrɪ) /

adjective -trier or -triest

insignificant; meagre
worthless or petty

Derived Forms

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