1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired
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2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa
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3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
just some paltry ruse to bilk the system
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4
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
wanted me to sell him my old records for a paltry sum
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of paltry
Some see the paltry number of artifacts returned as an inherent insult, while others protest that the immaterial aspects of their cultural past were never lost and shouldn’t be discounted.
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Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
There’s little doubt the hurricanes and strikes affected the paltry jobs tally.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Days go by; the paltry sunlight shifts here and there, her outfit changes, yet her dull demeanor remains.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024
Fighting to keep up with a volatile economy while often subjected to paltry entry-level salaries and oversized student loans, the most junior employees in the workforce are still reeling.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for paltry 
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
There’s little doubt the hurricanes and strikes affected the paltry jobs tally.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Days go by; the paltry sunlight shifts here and there, her outfit changes, yet her dull demeanor remains.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024
Fighting to keep up with a volatile economy while often subjected to paltry entry-level salaries and oversized student loans, the most junior employees in the workforce are still reeling.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for paltry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
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Meanwhile, nearly one-third of election offices don’t have any full-time staff, wages are pitiful, and turnover rates grew from 28 percent in 2004—already high—to nearly 39 percent in 2022.Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2024
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The plight of Zimbabwe, moreover, remains pitiful, a once prosperous country not only reduced to economic ruin but also trapped in a culture of corruption and violence that Mugabe fostered since gaining power in 1980 and that is now deeply embedded among the ruling elite.Martin Meredith, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
Adjective
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An American president who thinks strategically would likely conclude that the risks and costs associated with tariffs-as-a-tactic would be remarkably high, if not unacceptable.Samuel Gregg, National Review, 1 Nov. 2024
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Not holding my breath for Mike Johnson or Elise Stefanik to state the obvious that this is unacceptable, dangerous, & shameful.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Soccer fans are, for the most part, liberal and cosmopolitan in the U.S., so Lalas’ conservatism has led him to be called a vile human, a fascist and a dumb far-right puppet.Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
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This was one of the vilest crimes committed by the American government against its own people.Chloe Iris Kennedy, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The sponsor's fee is set at an annual nominal rate of 0.40% of the euro in the Trust.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024
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And, on a more abstract level, a 4.2% 10-year yield isn’t out of line with a U.S. economy now operating at a 5.5% nominal GDP growth pace (based on current GDP tracking models and prevailing headline inflation rates).Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
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Exposure to high concentrations can cause people to lose consciousness and can lead to long-term effects such as headaches, poor attention span, poor memory and poor motor function, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
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More than 40% of pregnant people were exposed to extreme heat, and nearly three-quarters lived in areas with poor air quality, the report found.Erika Edwards, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Good post for a mid- to late-November afternoon: 70 to 100 yards back in timber and along the thickest, nastiest ditch that leads out to crops. 59) Don’t waste precious rut-hunting time.Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
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Reason for Ranking: Yet another solid (and prescient) premise that’s spoiled by a nasty streak and curious jokes about, uh, Abraham Lincoln hitting on Homer.Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
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The latest consumer price index is expected to show a slight increase for October.Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
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The Slack survey found a slight increase in AI usage, up one percentage point between March and August 2024 for US respondents (32% to 33%).Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near paltry
Cite this Entry
“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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