Nearby Words
adjective, -tri·er, -tri·est.
1.
ridiculously or insultingly small: a paltry sum.
2.
utterly worthless.
3.
mean or contemptible: a paltry coward.
Origin:
1560–70; < Low German paltrig ragged, equivalent to *palter rag (dialectal German Palter) + -ig -y1
1560–70; < Low German paltrig ragged, equivalent to *palter rag (dialectal German Palter) + -ig -y1
Related forms
pal·tri·ly, adverb
pal·tri·ness, noun
un·pal·try, adjective
Antonyms
1. important, major.
1. important, major.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To paltry
:10
:09
:08
:07
:06
:05
:04
:03
:02
:01
Paltry
is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Example Sentences
- According to the association's analysis, categories of workers who received any median salary increases saw only paltry ones.
- New York's 7.5 million people face a housing market infamous for skyscraper-high prices and paltry options.
- The result: a tiny screen with 1.4 million pixels, compared with the paltry 200000 on most electronic viewfinders.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
paltry
1570, probably adj. use of noun paltry "worthless thing" (1556), associated with dial. palt, pelt "trash," cognate with M.L.G. and E.Fris. palte "rag," M.Du. palt "broken or torn fragment." Cf. Low Ger. paltrig "rubbishy," E.Fris. palterig "ragged, torn."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.