trivial thoughts

USAGE SUMMARY

"trivial thoughts" is correct and usable in written English.
You could use it when referring to a collection of simple, inconsequential ideas. For example, "The daydreamer sat in the garden, concentrating on the flurry of trivial thoughts in her head."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Instead, the self of our most trivial thoughts and actions, the self that, without technical help, we might barely notice or recall, is understood as the self we ought to get to know.

The New York Times - Magazine

How trivial thoughts of career and competition and success or failure are.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

We are narcissists now in every corner of our lives, fascinated by the most trivial thought that trundles through our brain, recording it for our friends, communicating every twinge of feeling, every passing impulse, telling people we don't know what page we've reached in books they've never heard of.

BBC

We can post our every trivial thought on a thousand websites that reach a billion people instantly.

Huffington Post

And that trivial thought led him, who knows how, to a scorned and maligned word, which nevertheless now glittered, or at least shone a little, or was less dark than usual, or was dark and serious and big but didn't embarrass him: maturity.

Vice

But this trivial thought does not prove and does not mean that evolution can create special mechanisms for the acceleration of evolution, though there is little doubt that the enhanced evolutionary potential could emerge as a by-product of the development of other systems and mechanisms (including sexual reproduction [ 28]).

Biology Direct

The first seems to express the trivial, boring thought that every creature with a heart is a creature with a heart, whereas the second expresses the non-trivial, potentially informative claim that every creature with a heart also has a kidney.

SEP

If the original thought was a trivial one, a thought about Fonsie jumping a shark, that may happen pretty quickly.

Huffington Post

But by the time we get to the pas de deux, for Damian Smith and Joanna Berman, such thoughts seem trivial.

The New Yorker

"I would like to believe that people use the trivial to express their thoughts about what matters, rather than believe that the trivial matters.

The New York Times

She said children as young as 14 inside the sect are separated from their families and made to live alone, often in trailers with no hot water, with no contact with their siblings for several years, as punishment for something as trivial as admitting "impure thoughts about the opposite sex" to church elders.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "trivial thoughts" to emphasize the insignificance or fleeting nature of ideas, especially when contrasting them with more profound or meaningful considerations. This phrase is suitable for conveying a sense of lightness or lack of seriousness in a particular context.

Common error

Avoid using "trivial thoughts" when the thoughts you are describing actually have underlying significance or potential impact. Overusing the term can undermine the importance of seemingly small ideas.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "trivial thoughts" functions as an adjective-noun construction, where "trivial" modifies the noun "thoughts". It's used to describe the nature of thoughts as being unimportant or insignificant. Ludwig AI confirms the phrase is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "trivial thoughts" is a grammatically correct and usable expression, as confirmed by Ludwig AI, used to describe unimportant or insignificant ideas. While relatively rare in occurrence, the phrase finds its primary use in News & Media contexts. It serves to diminish the value of certain thoughts, often in contrast to more significant considerations. Alternatives include "insignificant ideas", "petty musings", and "fleeting notions". When employing the term, it's essential to avoid undermining potentially valuable ideas by overemphasizing their apparent insignificance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

inconsequential thoughts

Emphasizes thoughts lacking in importance or relevance.

meaningless thoughts

Stresses that thoughts have no purpose or result.

passing thoughts

Highlights the brief duration of the thoughts.

idle thoughts

Focuses on the lack of purpose or activity associated with the thoughts.

insignificant ideas

Emphasizes the lack of importance or consequence of the ideas.

shallow thoughts

Highlights the superficial nature of the thoughts.

unimportant reflections

Stresses the lack of significance in the reflective process.

petty musings

Highlights the small-minded or selfish nature of the thoughts.

fleeting notions

Focuses on the temporary or transient quality of the thoughts.

minor considerations

Implies the thoughts are related to small, unimportant details.

FAQs

How can I use "trivial thoughts" in a sentence?

You can use "trivial thoughts" to describe unimportant or fleeting ideas. For example, "She dismissed the "trivial thoughts" that flitted through her mind and focused on the task at hand".

What is a good alternative to "trivial thoughts"?

Alternatives to "trivial thoughts" include "insignificant ideas", "petty musings", or "fleeting notions", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

When is it appropriate to use the phrase "trivial thoughts"?

The phrase "trivial thoughts" is appropriate when you want to downplay the importance of certain ideas or mental processes, suggesting they are not worthy of serious consideration.

What is the difference between "trivial thoughts" and "important reflections"?

"Trivial thoughts" refer to inconsequential or minor ideas, while "important reflections" refer to significant and deeply considered ideas. One denotes a lack of significance, and the other denotes considerable value.