paltry
1paltry — pal‧try [ˈpɔːltri ǁ ˈpɒːl ] adjective very small in number or amount and therefore not useful, important, or valuable: • As interest rates fell, returns on fixed income investments looked paltry compared with the stock market gains. * * * paltry… …
2paltry — pal try (p[add]l tr[y^]), a. [Compar. {Paltrier} (p[add]l tr[i^]*[ e]r); superl. {Paltriest}.] [Cf. Prov. E. paltry refuse, rubbish, LG. palterig ragged, palte, palter, a rag, a tatter, Dan. pialt, Sw. palta, pl. paltor.] Mean; vile; worthless;… …
3paltry — (adj.) 1560s, probably an adjectival use of noun paltry worthless thing (1550s), associated with dialectal palt, pelt trash, cognate with M.L.G. and E.Fris. palte rag, M.Du. palt broken or torn fragment. Cf. Low Ger. paltrig rubbishy, E.Fris.… …
4paltry — I adjective below par, beneath contempt, beneath notice, cheap, contemptible, deficient, despicable, diminutive, humble, inadequate, incomplete, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, irrelevant, lacking, little, meager, mean, measly,… …
5paltry — trifling, trivial, *petty, puny, measly, picayunish, picayune Analogous words: *contemptible, despicable, sorry, scurvy, cheap, beggarly, shabby: abject, ignoble, *mean: *base, low, vile …
6paltry — [adj] poor; worthless base, beggarly, cheap, common, contemptible, derisory, despicable, inconsiderable, ineffectual, insignificant, limited, low, low down*, meager, mean, measly, minor, miserable, narrow, petty, picayune, piddling, pitiful, puny …
7paltry — ► ADJECTIVE (paltrier, paltriest) 1) (of an amount) very small or meagre. 2) petty; trivial. DERIVATIVES paltriness noun. ORIGIN probably from dialect pelt «rubbish» …
8paltry — [pôl′trē] adj. paltrier, paltriest [prob. < LowG paltrig, ragged < palte, a rag] practically worthless; trifling; insignificant; contemptible; petty paltriness n …
9paltry — pal|try [ˈpo:ltri US ˈpo:l ] adj [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: paltry worthless material (16 19 centuries)] 1.) a paltry amount of something is too small to be useful or important ▪ paltry sum of money ▪ He received only a paltry £25 a day. 2.)… …
10paltry — [[t]pɔ͟ːltri[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n, oft a ADJ amount A paltry amount of money or something else is one that you consider to be very small. ...a paltry fine of ₤150... They suffered an electoral catastrophe, winning a paltry 3 seats. 2)… …
