trivial
Americanadjective
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of very little importance or value; insignificant.
Don't bother me with trivial matters.
- Synonyms:
- trifling, frivolous, inconsequential, immaterial, slight, nugatory, unimportant
- Antonyms:
- important
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commonplace; ordinary.
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Biology. (of names of organisms) specific, as distinguished from generic.
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Mathematics.
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noting a solution of an equation in which the value of every variable of the equation is equal to zero.
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(of a theorem, proof, or the like) simple, transparent, or immediately evident.
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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.
adjective
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of little importance; petty or frivolous
trivial complaints
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ordinary or commonplace; trite
trivial conversation
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maths (of the solutions of a set of homogeneous equations) having zero values for all the variables
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biology denoting the specific name of an organism in binomial nomenclature
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biology chem denoting the popular name of an organism or substance, as opposed to the scientific one
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of or relating to the trivium
Synonym Usage
See petty.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing trivial
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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ACT Vocabulary List
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"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
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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.
Most of these alterations are trivial, although one major change, coming near the end, is a very bad idea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
I know from my decades of work in public health—including at the nation’s largest health department and public hospital system—how often communication is treated as a final, trivial step.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
The defense of the buybacks writes itself: It is a routine tool, introduced in 2024 for liquidity and cash management, trivial against a marketable debt stock approaching $30 trillion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
It may seem trivial, but clothes do matter in politics.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Yet Clear Lake is typical of a large and growing number of situations where solution of an obvious and often trivial problem creates a far more serious but conveniently less tangible one.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
