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triviality

[triv-ee-al-i-tee]
noun, plural triv·i·al·i·ties.
  1. something trivial; a trivial matter, affair, remark, etc.: cocktail conversation marked by trivialities.
  2. Also tri·vi·al·ness [triv-ee-uh l-nis] /ˈtrɪv i əl nɪs/. trivial quality or character.
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Origin of triviality

First recorded in 1590–1600; trivial + -ity
Related formsnon·triv·i·al·i·ty, noun, plural non·triv·i·al·i·ties.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

trifle, paltriness, baseness, inconsequence, smallness, subordination, irrelevance, shabbiness, frivolousness, frippery, froth, nonsense, memorabilia, frivolity, minutia, fiddle-faddle, minutiae, negligibility, negligible

Examples from the Web for trivialities

Historical Examples

  • The trivialities of daily existence were an armour for the soul.

    Under Western Eyes

    Joseph Conrad

  • The public is too concerned with trivialities and too little with Truth.

  • His lassitude was noticeable, and when he roused himself it was often for trivialities.

    The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte

    William Milligan Sloane

  • That little scene of trivialities had been her first true humiliation.

    Heartsease

    Charlotte M. Yonge

  • In a milieu removed from care and trivialities I will continue my poem.

British Dictionary definitions for trivialities

triviality

noun plural -ties
  1. the state or quality of being trivial
  2. something, such as a remark, that is trivial
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Official name: trivialism (ˈtrɪvɪəˌlɪzəm)
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

Word Origin and History for trivialities

triviality

n.

1590s, "quality of being trivial," from trivial + -ity. Meaning "a trivial thing or affair" is from 1610s. Related: Trivialities.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper