Standard Lemma guide

fiddling

adj · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: F IH1 D L IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of petty or trivial importance; footling

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It was a fiddling little fault, but ultimately proved disastrous.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The playing of music on a fiddle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The act of fidgeting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Tweaking; manipulation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fiddlery, tweakery

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

present participle and gerund of fiddle

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

Examples

  • He was fiddling while Rome burned.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

(informal) small and of little importance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a fiddling sum of money
  • a footling gesture
  • our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war
  • a little (or small) matter
  • a dispute over niggling details
  • limited to petty enterprises
  • piffling efforts
  • giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, piddling, piffling, petty, picayune, trivial

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.