trivial

Intermediatezipf 3.66

Pronunciation

/ˈtrɪviəl/(TRIV-ee-ul)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

微不足道的;琐碎的(缺乏重要性或意义)

Definition

Of little value or importance; unworthy of serious attention.

Word family

  • trivially/ˈtrɪviəli/(adv)无关紧要地
  • triviality/ˌtrɪviˈælɪti/(n)无关紧要的事

Collocations

  • trivial matter
  • trivial detail
  • trivial complaint
  • seem trivial
  • trivialise an issue

Examples

  1. 1.Don't waste the meeting on trivial details — save it for decisions that actually require group input. (management)
  2. 2.What looks trivial at the start can become a much bigger issue if it's ignored. (risk)

Synonyms

  • minor/ˈmaɪnər/less important; often relative
  • petty/ˈpɛti/of little significance; also means small-minded
  • insignificant/ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/too small to be of consequence

Etymology

from Latin "trivialis" = common, commonplace — from "trivium" = three roads meeting (a busy intersection, thus "ordinary")