trifle
(traɪfəl )
Word forms: trifles , trifling , trifled
1. a trifle phrase
You can use a trifle to mean slightly or to a small extent, especially in order to make something you say seem less extreme. [vagueness]
As a photographer, he'd found both locations just a trifle disappointing.
'There we go,' said Diane, a trifle too cheerily.
His uniform made him look a trifle out of place.
Synonyms: slightly, a little, a bit, somewhat
2. countable noun
A trifle is something that is considered to have little importance, value, or significance.
He had no money to spare on trifles.
Believe me, it's the least I can do, a mere trifle.
Synonyms: knick-knack, nothing, toy, plaything
3. variable noun
Trifle is a cold dessert made of layers of sponge cake, jelly, fruit, and custard, and usually covered with cream.
Phrasal verbs:
trifle with
phrasal verb
If you say that someone is not a person to be trifled with, you are indicating to other people that they must treat that person with respect.
He was not someone to be trifled with. [be VERB-ed PARTICLE]
No man in Tabriz trifled with the executioner. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
Image of trifle
© graletta, Shutterstock
Quotations:
a snapper-up of unconsidered triflesThe Winter's Tale
Translations:
Chinese: 琐事, 屈莱弗甜食由蛋糕、果冻、水果、蛋奶沙司做成，上浇鲜奶油。
Japanese: つまらないもの, トライフル