paltry
Americanadjective
-
ridiculously or insultingly small.
a paltry sum.
- Synonyms:
- insignificant, slight, inconsiderable, minor
-
utterly worthless.
-
mean or contemptible.
a paltry coward.
adjective
-
insignificant; meagre
-
worthless or petty
Related Words
See petty.
Other Word Forms
- paltrily adverb
- paltriness noun
- unpaltry adjective
Etymology
Origin of paltry
First recorded in 1560–70; from Low German paltrig “ragged,” equivalent to *palter “rag” ( dialectal German Palter ) + -ig -y 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Such a paltry move, in the wake of a surprisingly strong U.S. monthly jobs report that hammered bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts, suggests a market that continues to search for direction.
From Barron's
“Years of narrow, large cap leadership have forced active investors into mega caps, leaving the average stock out in the cold — it’s 20% underweight, and owned by a paltry 10% of funds on average.”
From Barron's
“Years of narrow, large cap leadership have forced active investors into mega caps, leaving the average stock out in the cold — it’s 20% underweight, and owned by a paltry 10% of funds on average.”
From Barron's
State funding for the issue is generally paltry.
From Barron's
It says those incentives help attract users and give consumers more choices in a world with paltry checking account interest rates.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
