ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPpaltry
ISEE/SSAThard
paltry
Meaning: so small or trivial as to be almost worthless
paltry in a sentence
How paltry is used in real sentences:
The intern was frustrated by the paltry stipend offered for months of hard work.
The company offered a paltry raise that barely covered rising rent.
“Eventually, however, shrinking grants made their old grievances seem paltry, almost worthless beside the cost of maintaining separate studios.”
— from the passage Clay and Conviction
“A paltry error, perhaps the omission of “not,” can alter testimony whose legal consequences are enormous.”
— from the passage Between Speech and Judgment
Synonyms for paltry
Other words for paltry — meager, trifling and negligible — carry the same meaning.
- meager
- trifling
- negligible
Antonyms of paltry
Words that mean the opposite of paltry:
Where it comes from
From Middle English paltry "rubbish, trash"
Memory hook
PALTRY sounds like leftover poultry scraps -- bits barely worth anything.