fiddling
Americanadjective
adjective
-
trifling or insignificant; petty
-
another word for fiddly
Etymology
Origin of fiddling
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at fiddle, -ing 2
Vocabulary lists containing fiddling
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.
The move isn’t likely to end all of Washington’s record fiddling, but the worry of prosecution may make a few more actors think twice before playing fast and loose.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Neville is skeptical that businesses will be fiddling around with AI products to create their own cybersecurity.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
She pauses, fiddling with her red-framed reading glasses.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
Take, for example, Parton’s great-grandmother, Tennessee, who kept her home open for “singing, fiddling, and buck dancing.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
She stares at me, and I keep fiddling.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
