trivial

[ triv-ee-uhl ]

adjective

1. of very little importance or value; insignificant:

   Don't bother me with trivial matters.

   Synonyms: unimportant, trifling, frivolous, inconsequential, immaterial, slight, nugatory

   Antonyms: important

2. commonplace; ordinary.
3. Biology. (of names of organisms) specific, as distinguished from generic.
4. Mathematics.
   1. noting a solution of an equation in which the value of every variable of the equation is equal to zero.
   2. (of a theorem, proof, or the like) simple, transparent, or immediately evident.
5. Chemistry. (of names of chemical compounds) derived from the natural source, or of historic origin, and not according to the systematic nomenclature:

   Picric acid is the trivial name of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol.

trivial

/ ˈtrɪvɪəl /

adjective

1. of little importance; petty or frivolous

   trivial complaints

2. ordinary or commonplace; trite

   trivial conversation

3. maths (of the solutions of a set of homogeneous equations) having zero values for all the variables
4. biology denoting the specific name of an organism in binomial nomenclature
5. biology chem denoting the popular name of an organism or substance, as opposed to the scientific one
6. of or relating to the trivium

Derived Forms

• ˈtrivially, adverb
• ˈtrivialness, noun

Other Word Forms

• trivi·al·ly adverb
• super·trivi·al adjective
• un·trivi·al adjective
• un·trivi·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of trivial¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin triviālis “belonging to the crossroads or street corner,” hence “commonplace,” equivalent to tri- “three” + vi(a) “road” + -ālis adjective suffix; tri-, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of trivial¹

C15: from Latin triviālis belonging to the public streets, common, from trivium crossroads, junction of three roads, from tri- + via road

Synonym Study

See petty.

Example Sentences

"Even seemingly trivial offences... often have far-reaching implications for the victims," Morton's Solicitors said.

From BBC

"Having my England kit that I was so proud of being cut off me with scissors was a small trivial thing I was thinking of," Hampson told BBC East Midlands Today.

From BBC

In her essay “Insider Baseball,” Didion decried the trivial nature of two-party politics in the age of media saturation.

From Los Angeles Times

At first glance, eliminating the penny might seem trivial.

From Salon

What makes use of the device so insidious is not simply the monitoring, of course, but that trivial actions, and even non-actions, mere thoughts, lead inexorably to nightmarish scenarios.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• commonplace
• frivolous
• immaterial
• incidental
• inconsequential
• insignificant
• irrelevant
• meaningless
• minor
• negligible
• paltry
• petty
• superficial
• trite
• unimportant