trivia
plural noun
matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.
trivia
1 American
[triv-ee-uh]
/ ˈtrɪv i ə /
plural noun
Trivia
2
American
[triv-ee-uh]
/ ˈtrɪv i ə /
noun
trivia
British
/ ˈtrɪvɪə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of trivia1
1900–05; pseudo-Latin trivia (neuter plural), taken as the base of trivial
Origin of Trivia2
First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin, feminine of trivius (adj.), derivative of trivium “place where three roads meet,” equivalent to tri- tri- + -vium, derivative of via “way, road”
Explanation
Can you name the twenty-third vice-president? Do you know all the state birds? If so, you must be good at trivia: facts that are interesting but not necessarily important. Everybody probably knows trivia about something they enjoy. Baseball fans can quote batting averages of their favorite players; movie nuts can tell you exactly what films their favorite actors appeared in and who they played. The game "Trivial Pursuit" is full of questions about facts like that. Why would anyone bother with trivia? Usually, because they love the topic, or maybe they need to know it for their job. One person's trivia is another person's important information.
Vocabulary lists containing trivia
A First Time for Everything
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Doing Time Online
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Not Nothing
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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.
See Examples For:
This comprehensive research never weighs down his account with tangents or trivia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Test your knowledge of historical trivia with our daily quiz.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
One of that film’s memorable scenes featured Kirby in a tense trivia telephone showdown with the Ghostface killer, rushing through the titles of several slasher films while attempting to save one of her friends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
While Pele, Messi et al are rightly regarded as the best male players ever, Fontaine is now a piece of trivia.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
We had just finished writing all our research as questions on the trivia cards.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
Trivia companies have capitalized by hosting contests, giving superfans an excuse to indulge their obsession.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Trivia themes range from TV and sports to pop culture, music, current events and history.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2023
Trivia: If Yeoh were to win, she would become the first Asian woman awarded in that category.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2023
Trivia, the coin of the realm in pop culture writing, is spilled here in abundance.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
“But what I could use some help on is the Trivia Contest. I’ve been working at it for twenty-five years and never even come close to a ringer.”
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
