adj · 5 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.
UK:/ˈpɒltɹi/
UK:/ˈpɔːltɹi/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈpɔltɹi/
Canada, US, cot-caught-merger:/ˈpɑltɹi/
Australian, New-Zealand:/ˈpɔltɹi/
homophone: poultry (some accents)
CMU ARPABET:P AO1 L T R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Trashy, trivial, of little value.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
This is indeed a paltry flyer about a silly product.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Could someone hope to survive on such a paltry income?
Student grants these days are paltry, and many students have to take out loans.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: meager, worthless, pitiful, trifling
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Despicable; contemptibly unimportant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
a paltry coward
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
contemptibly small in amount
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a measly tip
the company donated a miserable $100 for flood relief
a paltry wage
almost depleted his miserable store of dried beans
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: measly, miserable
Antonyms: none provided
5
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
not worth considering
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he considered the prize too paltry for the lives it must cost
piffling efforts
a trifling matter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: negligible, trifling
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle Low German paltrig (“ragged, rubbishy, worthless”), from palter, palte (“cloth, rag, shred”), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“scrap, rag, patch”). Of uncertain ultimate origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *polto- (“cloth”), see also Proto-Slavic *poltьno (“linen”). Cognate with Low German palterig (“ragged, torn”), dialectal German palterig (“paltry”). Compare also Low German palte (“rag”), West Frisian palt (“rag”), Saterland Frisian Palte (“strip; band; tape”), dialectal German Palter (“rag”), Danish pjalt (“rag, tatter”), Swedish palta (“rag”). See also palterly and pelting.
Across languages
Translations
74 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
дре́бен
(drében)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Bulgarian:
незначи́телен
(neznačítelen)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Bulgarian:
ми́жав
(mížav)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Chinese Mandarin:
無價值 /无价值
(wújiàzhí)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Czech:
ubohý
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Czech:
mizerný
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Dutch:
triviaal
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Dutch:
pietluttig
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Finnish:
surkea
— trashy, trivial, of little value
French:
dérisoire
— trashy, trivial, of little value
German:
geringfügig
— trashy, trivial, of little value
German:
dürftig
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Greek:
τιποτένιος
(tipoténios)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Greek:
ασήμαντος
(asímantos)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Greek:
μηδαμινός
(midaminós)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Ancient Greek:
φαῦλος
(phaûlos)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Italian:
ridicolo
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Italian:
insignificante
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Italian:
modesto
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Italian:
irrisorio
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Italian:
insufficiente
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Italian:
miserabile
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Japanese:
僅かばかりの
(wazuka bakari no)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Māori:
hauarea
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Māori:
hauwarea
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Māori:
paraurehe
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Māori:
kūrapa
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Māori:
koroiti
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Māori:
tangatakimōrī
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Māori:
tātakimōri
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Norwegian:
ussel
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Polish:
kiepski
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Portuguese:
pobre
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Portuguese:
insignificante
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Portuguese:
pífio
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Russian:
пустяко́вый
(pustjakóvyj)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Russian:
незначи́тельный
(neznačítelʹnyj)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Russian:
ничтожный
(ničtožnyj)
— trashy, trivial, of little value
Serbo-Croatian:
tričav
— trashy, trivial, of little value
