1
as in petty
not broad or open in views or opinions
the picayune ponderings of a commentator who steadfastly believes other cultures are inferior to our own
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
irritatingly picayune complaints
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nothing
something of little importance
our lives don't amount to a picayune in the great scheme of things
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Recent Examples of picayune
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2012
But only a fool would harp on picayune flaws when this rich material is being served with such musical polish and sensitivity.
—Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022
Challenging ballot designations has become something of a sport in California politics — squabbles over the occasionally picayune rules return each cycle like the swallows to Capistrano.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2022
What would normally be regarded as an investigation that has reached the level of pursuing such picayune matters that it should be concluded, may to him or her be an investigation that ought to go on for another year.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 13 Mar. 2022
There are at least two explanations: One is that the violations are so picayune as to expose a petty scheme to dump the executive.
—Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2022
This was the Britain—still very imperial yet so very picayune—to which Mr. Sen, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in economics, had come to study.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
Vance’s investigation, which appears to be focussed largely on business practices that Trump engaged in before taking office, may seem picayune in comparison with the outrageous offenses to democratic norms that Trump committed as President.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2021
But after months of family quarantine, combined with the confusion and exasperation of school-Zoom days, more of our wind-down reading sessions have involved the sureness of facts — picayune details about dogs and skyscrapers and coral reefs.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020
Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 18 July 2024
Light-bodied and easy to drink, it’s got all the hallmarks of a classic grain whisky, but with a flavor profile that’s big and layered enough to satisfy the most picayune of single-malt snobs.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The show has always dwelled in the picayune at times, but these and so many other moments feel like attempts to find the fight, to gin something up.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 July 2023
Adjective
At this point you may be exhausted by the exploration of picayune facts.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2012
But only a fool would harp on picayune flaws when this rich material is being served with such musical polish and sensitivity.
—Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022
Challenging ballot designations has become something of a sport in California politics — squabbles over the occasionally picayune rules return each cycle like the swallows to Capistrano.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2022
What would normally be regarded as an investigation that has reached the level of pursuing such picayune matters that it should be concluded, may to him or her be an investigation that ought to go on for another year.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 13 Mar. 2022
There are at least two explanations: One is that the violations are so picayune as to expose a petty scheme to dump the executive.
—Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2022
This was the Britain—still very imperial yet so very picayune—to which Mr. Sen, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in economics, had come to study.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
Vance’s investigation, which appears to be focussed largely on business practices that Trump engaged in before taking office, may seem picayune in comparison with the outrageous offenses to democratic norms that Trump committed as President.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2021
But after months of family quarantine, combined with the confusion and exasperation of school-Zoom days, more of our wind-down reading sessions have involved the sureness of facts — picayune details about dogs and skyscrapers and coral reefs.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020
Noun
Observers believe a flood of intervention into D.C. laws — from the sweeping to the picayune — is more likely than a total revocation of home rule (though there is a longshot bill for that, too).
—Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 18 July 2024
Light-bodied and easy to drink, it’s got all the hallmarks of a classic grain whisky, but with a flavor profile that’s big and layered enough to satisfy the most picayune of single-malt snobs.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The show has always dwelled in the picayune at times, but these and so many other moments feel like attempts to find the fight, to gin something up.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picayune
Adjective
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The Rome of Gladiator II is purposefully over the top, using the backdrop of the ancient world as a way to examine how petty people have always been.Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
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Seeing Kwon land a deflating chest kick on Sam, Axel abandons his petty fight with Miguel and shifts his target.Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 16 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
Noun
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The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2024
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But nothings more peaceful than tomorrow to a man going through pain today.Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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Netflix has ordered a second season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, with Wednesday star Emma Myers returning as a teenage gumshoe who gets to the bottom of murder cases in a small English village.Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
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Popular on Variety The duo take oversight of a significantly smaller media operation that Comcast executives are betting will fare better without the burden of a passel of large cable networks that, while still profitable, are in decline.Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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But some experts say more research is still needed, especially since the study found a slight increase in prostate cancer among men who had higher levels of omega-6.Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 23 Nov. 2024
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Many current partner structures will lend themselves well to adapt to new needs with slight changes in remit and capabilities.Forrester, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Any continuation of this conversation will veer far off from the triviality of Socrates’s political beliefs.Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Although it was considered appropriately feminine for women to care for animals, women and femininity were also considered weaker, sillier, and more frivolous than men and masculinity; caring too much for other creatures came was considered a sign of fragility and triviality.Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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But these conservationists were not always taken seriously by professional ornithologists, who often viewed them as parochial animal lovers and laughed at their efforts.Tim Gallagher, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
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There are literally thousands of other Americans worldwide who have dedicated their lives in similar ways to causes that are more consequential than parochial nationalism.Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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And some promises, such as Biden’s grand goal to help change America’s diet, have been approached more like trivial pursuits.Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 25 Nov. 2024
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With a fast-enough internet connection, streaming 60 frames of HD (or even 4K) video to your laptop or phone can be a trivial task.Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 27 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near picayune
Cite this Entry
“Picayune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picayune. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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