paltry

USAGE SUMMARY

'paltry' is a correct and usable word in written English.
It is an adjective that means "very small in amount or size; insignificant." Example sentence: My paycheck last month was a paltry sum, not enough to cover my monthly expenses.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

It could also be argued that the union campaign might have incidentally benefited the Liberal Democrats, who spent paltry sums compared with the two main parties.

The Guardian

Bank of America, which has already shelled out $40bn in clean-up costs for its acquisition of Countrywide, made a paltry $4.2bn in net income last year: one-fifth of the income of JP Morgan.

The Guardian - Opinion

Maike Currie, associate investment director at Fidelity Personal Investing, said that while removing the income tax on interest earned on cash "makes for a great headline", it would do little for cash savers who had to contend with paltry rates.

The Guardian - Money

After 30 hours of racing over six days we were separated by a paltry three minutes.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

"Coming out here [New Orleans] in 1998, talking to clients and seeing the paltry resources given to their cases was terrible," he said then.

The Guardian

The enormity of the second leg was evident when 19,962 supporters crammed into the two sides of Molineux that were open - the corresponding league fixture in February had seen a paltry 3,357 turn up - yet for the majority of the crowd it would be a night of despair.

The Guardian - Sport

Patterson earned more than twice as much as the second-placed author on Forbes's list, Danielle Steel, whose romance novels brought her a comparatively paltry $35m over the period.

The Guardian - Books

The company defended the paltry 1.3% price reduction claiming that the vast majority of gas EDF bought for its customers was purchased well in advance and at higher prices.

The Guardian - Money

Despite a furore at the Venice film festival, Fight Club opened with just a paltry $12m.

The Guardian - Film

Britain's Electro Velvet secured a paltry five points for their song, Still in Love with You, on a night also notable for the first appearance of Australia, a wildcard entry to mark the show's 60th incarnation.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

Latino/Hispanic nominees total just 19 since the awards started, while Asian nods come to the paltry total of nine.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "paltry", ensure the context clearly indicates that the smallness of the amount or value is a significant issue or a cause for concern. For example, "The government offered a paltry sum for disaster relief."

Common error

Avoid using "paltry" simply to describe something small without implying any negative judgment or inadequacy. The word carries a connotation of disappointment or insufficiency. For instance, instead of saying "The town had a paltry population", consider "The town had a small population" if you do not intend to express a negative sentiment.

Linguistic Context

The word "paltry" functions as an adjective. It modifies a noun to indicate that something is insignificant or inadequate in amount, quality, or importance. Examples on Ludwig show it describing sums of money, resources, and even support.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Formal & Business

15%

Science

5%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "paltry" is an adjective used to describe something insignificant or inadequate, often implying a negative judgment or disappointment. Ludwig AI confirms it is a correctly used word in written English. It is most frequently found in News & Media, and Formal & Business contexts, and is considered suitable for formal and informal communication. When using "paltry", ensure the context suggests that the smallness is a relevant problem, and avoid employing it in purely descriptive scenarios where no inadequacy is implied. Related phrases include "meager", "insignificant", and "trifling". The provided examples offer insights into how "paltry" is commonly used in various contexts to convey critical or disparaging assessments.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

meager

Indicates a deficiency in quantity or quality, often suggesting something is inadequate or insufficient.

insignificant

Emphasizes the lack of importance or consequence, highlighting that something has little to no impact.

trifling

Suggests something is so unimportant it's not worth considering.

inadequate

Focuses on the insufficiency of something to meet a specific need or requirement.

scant

Highlights the limited quantity or amount, often implying scarcity or deficiency.

minimal

Refers to the least possible amount or degree, indicating something is at its lowest acceptable level.

negligible

Suggests something is so small or unimportant it can be safely ignored.

derisory

Implies something is so small it's deserving of ridicule.

miserly

Conveys extreme stinginess or meanness in providing or spending something.

diminutive

Focuses on the unusually small size of something.

FAQs

How can I use "paltry" in a sentence?

Use "paltry" to describe an amount or quantity that is disappointingly small or insignificant, as in, "The company offered a "paltry" raise of only 1%."

What can I say instead of "paltry"?

You can use alternatives like "meager", "insignificant", or "trifling" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it correct to use "paltry" in a formal context?

Yes, "paltry" is suitable for formal contexts, especially when emphasizing the inadequacy of a specific amount, as demonstrated in examples from The Economist and The Guardian.

What's the difference between "paltry" and "small"?

"Small" simply describes size, while "paltry" implies that the small size is inadequate or disappointing. A "small" donation is just a donation of limited amount, but a ""paltry"" donation suggests that the amount is insufficient or worthless given the circumstances.