trifle

[ trahy-fuhl ]
/ ˈtraɪ fəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR trifle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used without object), tri·fled, tri·fling.

verb (used with object), tri·fled, tri·fling.

to pass or spend (time) idly or frivolously (usually followed by away).

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of trifle

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English tru(f)fle idle talk, deceit < Old French, variant of truf(f)e mockery, deceit; (v.) Middle English treoflen to mock < Old French trufler to make sport of

OTHER WORDS FROM trifle

tri·fler, noun

Words nearby trifle

trifacial neuralgia, trifecta, triffid, trifid, trifid foot, trifle, trifling, trifluoperazine, trifluoride, trifluorochloromethane, trifluralin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to trifle

toy, triviality, novelty, trinket, gewgaw, nothing, knickknack, curio, bauble, bagatelle, plaything, whatnot, speck, dash, touch, suggestion, little, squat, hint, suspicion

Example sentences from the Web for trifle

British Dictionary definitions for trifle

trifle
/ (ˈtraɪfəl) /

noun

verb

(intr usually foll by with) to deal (with) as if worthless; dallyto trifle with a person's affections
to waste (time) frivolously

Derived forms of trifle

trifler, noun

Word Origin for trifle

C13: from Old French trufle mockery, from trufler to cheat
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