piffling

American

[pif-ling] / ˈpɪf lɪŋ /

adjective

of little worth; trifling; piddling.

piffling efforts.

piffling British

/ ˈpɪflɪŋ /

adjective

worthless, trivial

"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

Etymology

Origin of piffling

First recorded in 1890–95; piffle + -ing ²

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.

See Examples For:

piffling

Former economic advisor to the government of Jersey John Christensen said the amount of tax paid by high value residents was "piffling"

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Yet it went ignored while Sly Stallone’s piffling King Lear act in the mediocre Creed is hailed like the second coming.

From Slate ● Jan. 4, 2016

There is even a tiny one – a piffling four million times as massive as the Sun – at the heart of the Milky Way, the galaxy we call home.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 12, 2012

British MPs sold their reputations for a piffling return—one MP submitted a claim for a hot drink he had bought in the House of Commons tearoom.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 9, 2011

The piffling toad steps away from her and says, “Non capisco! Ha!”

From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023