trivial

American  

[triv-ee-uhl] / ˈtrɪv i əl /

adjective

1. of very little importance or value; insignificant.

   Don't bother me with trivial matters.

   Synonyms:

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

   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.

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trivial British  

/ 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

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Synonym Usage

See petty.

Other Word Forms

• trivialness
  noun
• supertrivial
  adjective
• untrivial
  adjective
• trivially
  adverb
• untrivially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of trivial

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; see tri-, -al ¹

Explanation

Something that is trivial is not important or significant, such as the trivial details you shared with me about your trip to the post office this morning. Trivial can also describe something that isn't deep or meaningful, like a trivial movie that you'll forget about after the credits roll. It comes from the Latin word trivium: tri means "three" and via is "road." So a trivium is a "place where three roads meet," meaning a crossroads — just something ordinary. So something that is trivial is not worth remembering; it just isn't important.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trivial

Bizarrely, he insists on more contact tracing, as if oblivious to the fact that identified cases are a trivial proportion of the true pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The impact is muted because it instantly clarifies how needlessly trivial everything before it was.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

These predicted increases in job exits for middle- and highly exposed workers are not at all trivial and are occurring at a sensitive time given that looming Social Security shortfall.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Ben said he was often given no work, trivial tasks such as a word search, or work which was too hard - but not appropriate material which could occupy him for the full day.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Though long-distance travel in antiquity was never a trivial undertaking, a summer voyage to Egypt would have been a pleasant journey.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

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