Definition

Noun: 1. The quality of being insignificant or worthless: Paltriness refers to the state or condition of having little value, importance, or worth; triviality. 2. Meanness or contemptibility: It can also describe a quality of being petty, mean, or deserving of scorn due to its lack of substance or significance.

Usage Examples

• The paltriness of the reward did not motivate anyone to work harder.
• He was disappointed by the sheer paltriness of their apology; it lacked any real sincerity.
• Critics focused on the paltriness of the film's plot, calling it shallow and unoriginal.
• The debate revealed the paltriness of their political arguments, which were based on personal attacks rather than policy.

Advanced Usage

• "to be struck by the paltriness of something": to be strongly affected or surprised by how insignificant or worthless something is.
  • After years of hard work, she was struck by the paltriness of her pension.
• "to expose the paltriness of something": to reveal or make clear the lack of worth or substance in something.
  • The investigation exposed the paltriness of the company's safety protocols.

Variants and Related Words

• Paltry (adj): insignificant, contemptibly small, or meager.
  • They offered a paltry sum for the valuable painting.
• Triviality (n): the quality of being unimportant or insignificant.
• Insignificance (n): the quality of being too small or unimportant to be worth consideration.

Synonyms

• Meagerness
• Pettiness
• Triviality
• Insignificance
• Worthlessness

Antonyms

• Importance
• Significance
• Substance
• Worth
• Magnitude

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "A paltry sum/excuse/effort": This common collocation uses the adjective form "paltry" to describe something as unacceptably small or inadequate.
  • He made a paltry effort to help and then left.
• "To be of paltry concern": To be of very little importance or worry.
  • Such details are of paltry concern compared to the main issue.

Noun

1. worthlessness due to insignificance