trifle

25 synonyms and 2 antonyms for trifle, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A British dessert layered with sponge cake, custard, fruit, jelly, and whipped cream.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

toy trick play

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

fig

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

bagatelle bag of shells bric-a-brac dicky dicky-bird fico flamfew flyspeck minuity niff-naff picayune scuddick sop ticky-tack triviality whiffle white chip dally wanton piddle frivol

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A British dessert layered with sponge cake, custard, fruit, jelly, and whipped cream.

“Grandma always makes a sherry trifle at Christmas.”

bagatelle bag of shells bric-a-brac dicky dicky-bird fico flamfew fig flyspeck minuity niff-naff picayune scuddick sop ticky-tack toy trick triviality whiffle white chip

2. noun

Something of little importance or value.

“Don't get upset over such a trifle.”

Opposites

weight importance

3. verb

To treat something, or someone, without proper seriousness.

“Don't trifle with her feelings.”

dally wanton piddle play frivol

How to use trifle

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

trifle with a mere trifle

Etymology

From Old French trufle, related to truffe ("deception"); the origin beyond that is uncertain.

Full origin of trifle →

Frequently asked questions

What does “trifle” mean?

The word “trifle” means a British dessert layered with sponge cake, custard, fruit, jelly, and whipped cream. In plain terms, either the layered dessert, or a small, unimportant thing — as a verb, to treat something carelessly or toy with it.

How do you pronounce “trifle”?

“Trifle” is pronounced TREYE-fuhl (/ˈtɹaɪfəl/ in IPA).

How do you use “trifle” in a sentence?

Here is “trifle” used in a sentence: “Grandma always makes a sherry trifle at Christmas.”

What is another word for “trifle”?

Words with a similar meaning to “trifle” include bagatelle, bag of shells, bric-a-brac, dicky, dicky-bird and fico.

What part of speech is “trifle”?

Depending on how it is used, “trifle” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “trifle” come from?

The word “trifle” comes from Old French. From Old French trufle, related to truffe ("deception"); the origin beyond that is uncertain.

How many meanings does “trifle” have?

“Trifle” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a British dessert layered with sponge cake, custard, fruit, jelly, and whipped cream.

People also searched

play weight importance trick toy fig picayune flyspeck whiffle fico bagatelle piddle

Nearby words

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