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Showing results for fiddling. Search instead for riddling.
Synonyms

fiddling

American  
[fid-ling] / ˈfɪd lɪŋ /

adjective

  1. trifling; trivial.

    a fiddling sum of money.
fiddling British  
/ ˈfɪdlɪŋ /

adjective

  1. trifling or insignificant; petty

  2. another word for fiddly

"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 fiddling

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at fiddle, -ing 2

Vocabulary lists containing fiddling

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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.

I was fiddling with my phone during both expressions of loyalty, nervous that I wouldn’t get an intelligible recording of Mr. Paxton’s remarks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Neville is skeptical that businesses will be fiddling around with AI products to create their own cybersecurity.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

The ongoing injuries have left Musselman to continue fiddling with his lineup in search of answers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

Researchers quietly work away, fiddling with parts of the machine.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

The only person who looked equally out of place was the thin reader, Darius, who was sitting at the very end of the row of black-clad men and kept fiddling with his glasses.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

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.