trifle
Hardly worth mentioning
A trifle is something of little value or importance: Don't waste time on trifles.
To trifle with someone or something is to treat them carelessly or without proper seriousness: He's not a man to be trifled with.
A trifle as an adverb means slightly: The soup was a trifle salty.
Separately, trifle is a British layered dessert of sponge cake, custard, fruit, and whipped cream.
Cooked egg-milk mixture
- spongeAbsorbent cleaning material
- sherryFortified wine from Spain
- layersStacked levels or coatings
- whipped creamAerated dairy topping
fruit · pudding · raspberries · strawberries · almonds · compote · ladyfingers · syllabub
Lacking significance or weight
- trivialityUnimportant small matter
- minorScale with lowered third
- negligibleToo small to consider
- inconsequentialLacking significance or impact
unimportant · petty · small · piddling · frivolous · picayune · niggling · fiddling
Object for amusement
- playRecreation or staged drama
- flirtPlayfully attract attention
- dabbleEngage superficially
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
tinker · meddle · tamper · fool around · mess about · sport · philander · idle
Single small element
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
- subtletyFine distinction, easily missed
- technicalityPrecise procedural point
- particularSpecific or fussy
specifics · nicety · intricacy · fine point · hair-splitting · pedantry · quibble · nitpicking
custard
Cooked egg-milk mixture
whipped cream · fruit · pudding · raspberries · strawberries · almonds · compote · ladyfingers · syllabub · fool
trivial
Lacking significance or weight
- trivialityUnimportant small matter
- minorScale with lowered third
- negligibleToo small to consider
inconsequential · unimportant · petty · small · piddling · frivolous · picayune · niggling · fiddling · minuscule
toy
Object for amusement
fiddle · tinker · meddle · tamper · fool around · mess about · sport · philander · idle · dawdle
detail
Single small element
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
- subtletyFine distinction, easily missed
- technicalityPrecise procedural point
particular · specifics · nicety · intricacy · fine point · hair-splitting · pedantry · quibble · nitpicking · punctilio
- British foodfish and chips, full English, bangers and mash, Sunday roast, shepherd's pie
- British PuddingsChristmas pudding, sticky toffee pudding, bread and butter pudding, spotted dick, spotted dog
- dessertscake, cookies, pie, cupcakes, pudding
- British ClassicsPride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist
- Classic Dessertsangel food cake, baked Alaska, Black Forest cake, Boston cream pie, bread pudding
- holiday mealsroast turkey, glazed ham, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing
triflesignificance
Quality of mattering
importance · matter · priority · consequence · substance
trifletake seriously
Treat as significant
apply oneself · work · labor · commit · buckle down
- trifle withTreat dismissively or carelessly
- a trifleTo a minor extent
- sherry trifleWine-soaked layered custard dessert
- mere trifles