trifling amount

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "trifling amount" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a sum of money or quantity that is considered insignificant or unimportant. For example, "The fee for the service was a trifling amount compared to the benefits received." Alternative expressions include "negligible sum" and "insignificant amount."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

But one of the outside groups that has popped up to advocate for Trump has raised less than $1.1 million -- a practically trifling amount by presidential super PAC standards -- and had just more than $65,000 in cash on hand at the end of April, according to new campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Huffington Post

per annum, finds that we practically prohibit from our consumption every important article which it produces except to the trifling amount of 300,000l.

The Economist

It is not a trifling amount – more than the average UK house price and enough to buy a chocolate box cottage with acres of land in Northumberland.

The Guardian - Business

There is some explicit sex here, quite a few photographs of genitals and a trifling amount of bondage, but the same publisher's "Mapplethorpe" makes "Peek" look like the raunchier daydreams of Little Bo Peep.

The New York Times - Books

And the hundreds of millions of corporate and entertainment dollars flowing into Times Square have come in large part, many developers say, because of a comparatively trifling amount pledged by a single company, Walt Disney.

The New York Times

A believable rise of, say, 25percentt in China's imports from Japan, over a course of years, would help Japanese gross domestic product to grow by an extra 0.3percentt -- no trifling amount in an era of economic shrinkage.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

Though that's a trifle amount compared to Facebook's current $62 billion market capitalization, it shows interest in (and the value of) the social network to big brands.

Forbes

Although the amount due this week was trifling (less than $15m), no government bail-out was on offer.

The Economist

Firms may be booking much bigger restructuring charges than they should, creating a reserve of money to draw on to boost profits in a difficult future year.The amounts involved in all these shenanigans are hardly trifling.

The Economist

Unfortunately, both in this country and the eurozone, an absurdly short-term view was taken of the situation The actual amount to be redeemed on Monday is, at just over £1.9bn, trifling by today's standards, but tomorrow is nevertheless a historic day.

The Guardian - Business

True, the direct disbursements are relatively trifling: although the checks go out to Poppy and Bar, as they do to thirty million other retirees, the amounts are probably insufficient to pay lawnmowing and pool expenses at Kennebunkport.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "trifling amount", ensure the context clearly establishes what is being compared to emphasize its insignificance. For instance, "The cost was a "trifling amount" compared to the potential benefits."

Common error

Avoid using "trifling amount" when the amount, though small, is significant in its own right. This can undermine the intended message and appear dismissive. A "trifling amount" to a large corporation might be critical to an individual.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "trifling amount" functions as a quantifying adjective modifying the noun "amount". Ludwig AI confirms that it describes a quantity considered insignificant or small, as shown in various examples where it's used to downplay the importance of a sum.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Wiki

10%

Science

10%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "trifling amount" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe a quantity that is considered insignificant. Ludwig confirms the phrase is more common in News & Media. When using it, consider if the term is suitable to your specific context, and make sure you are conveying what you mean with the word "trifling". Alternatives like "insignificant amount" or "negligible sum" can be used for variety. As Ludwig AI has pointed out, the phrase is both usable and correct, but should be used considering the nature of the context and scale in relation to the discussion.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

insignificant quantity

Replaces "trifling" with "insignificant" while retaining the core meaning related to quantity.

negligible sum

Uses "negligible" to emphasize the unimportance of the sum.

paltry sum

Replaces "trifling" with "paltry", indicating a small and worthless amount.

meager quantity

Uses "meager" to describe a deficient amount.

small quantity

A more straightforward way to express a small amount.

inconsiderable amount

Highlights that the amount is not worth considering.

minor quantity

Emphasizes the reduced importance of the quantity.

minimal sum

Uses "minimal" to indicate the least possible amount.

trivial amount

Replaces "trifling" with "trivial", indicating lack of seriousness or importance.

tiny amount

Simple replacement focusing on the physical smallness of the amount.

FAQs

How can I use "trifling amount" in a sentence?

You can use "trifling amount" to describe something small or insignificant, like "The donation was a "trifling amount" compared to the overall budget".

What is a good substitute for "trifling amount"?

Alternatives include "insignificant amount", "negligible sum", or "paltry amount", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it appropriate to use "trifling amount" in formal writing?

Yes, "trifling amount" is suitable for formal writing when you need to emphasize that a quantity is small or unimportant in a particular context. However, ensure that its usage aligns with the tone and purpose of your writing.

What's the difference between "trifling amount" and "small amount"?

"Trifling amount" implies not only that the amount is small but also that it's insignificant or not worth considering. "Small amount" simply indicates that the quantity is not large, without necessarily implying a lack of importance.