trifle

CEFRB2

/ˈtɹaɪfəl/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Something of little importance or value.

  2. 02

    verb

    To treat something as unimportant or waste time.

Examples

  • Don't worry about such a trifle thing.

  • I paid only a trifle for the picture.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Anything that is of little importance or worth.

  2. An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.

  3. An insignificant amount of money.

More examples

In context

  • Perfection is a trifle dull.

  • You must not trifle with her affections.

  • It is interesting to watch the surface joviality on screen while racism is layered between courses like soggy trifles.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She was upset over a blank, like a missing button on her shirt.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English trifle, trifel, triful, trefle, truyfle, trufful, from Old French trufle (“mockery”), a byform of trufe, truffe (“deception”), of uncertain origin.