Dictionary

paltry en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (UK) audio
• /ˈpɔːltɹi/ (UK)
• /ˈpɔltɹi/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /ˈpɔltɹi/ (US)
• /ˈpɑltɹi/ (Canada, US, cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈpɒltɹi/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle Low German paltrig (“ragged, rubbishy, worthless”), from palter, palte (“cloth, rag, shred”), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“scrap, rag, patch”). Of uncertain ultimate origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *polto- (“cloth”), see also Proto-Slavic *poltьno (“linen”). Cognate with Low German palterig (“ragged, torn”), dialectal German palterig (“paltry”). Compare also Low German palte (“rag”), West Frisian palt (“rag”), Saterland Frisian Palte (“strip; band; tape”), dialectal German Palter (“rag”), Danish pjalt (“rag, tatter”), Swedish palta (“rag”). See also palterly and pelting.

Meanings

1. Trashy, trivial, of little value.
   • This is indeed a paltry flyer about a silly product.
   • She made some paltry excuse and left.
   • There are a great many languages, like Eskimo and Nootka and, aside from paltry exceptions, the Semitic languages, that cannot compound radical elements. 1921, Edward Sapir, Language: An introduction to the study of speech:
2. Of little monetary worth.
   • Meanwhile, the trade deal has left Britain’s fishing communities screaming betrayal, unhappy with their paltry gains and facing expensive barriers to export what they have caught. 2022 July 8, Daniel Boffey, “Collapsing public support suggests Brexit is anything but done”, in The Guardian:
   • As for those Samnites, and the men of Uz, That bought my Spanish oils and wines of Greece, Here have I purs'd their paltry silverlings. Fie, what a trouble 'tis to count this trash! c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act I:
   • Student grants these days are paltry, and many students have to take out loans.
   • Could someone hope to survive on such a paltry income?
3. Despicable; contemptibly unimportant.
   • a paltry coward
   • "An aged man is but a paltry thing, / A tattered coat upon a stick" 1928, William Butler Yeats, Sailing to Byzantium:

Forms

Deriveds

unpaltry · paltrily · paltriness

Synonyms

pitiful · trivial · trifling · meager · petty · insignificant · worthless · unimportant · beggarly

Translations (74)

nl triviaal (trashy, trivial, of little value) · fi surkea (trashy, trivial, of little value) · ru жа́лкий (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · es exiguo (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · nl meelijwekkend (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · cs nicotný (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · sh bedan (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · pt pobre (trashy, trivial, of little value) · mi kūrapa (trashy, trivial, of little value) · mi hauarea (trashy, trivial, of little value) · bg жа́лък (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · it insufficiente (trashy, trivial, of little value) · nl pietluttig (trashy, trivial, of little value) · de schäbig (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · cs mizerný (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · bg ми́жав (trashy, trivial, of little value) · bg нищо́жен (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · fi mitätön (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · de mager (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · cs ubohý (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · cs mizerný (trashy, trivial, of little value) · ar بَخْس (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · ru пустяко́вый (trashy, trivial, of little value) · fr dérisoire (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · de armselig (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · sv futtig (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · el μηδαμινός (trashy, trivial, of little value) · pt pífio (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · mi tātakimōri (trashy, trivial, of little value) · nl beklagenswaardig (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · fr misérable (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · it insignificante (trashy, trivial, of little value) · mi paraurehe (trashy, trivial, of little value) · sv ynklig (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · it ridicolo (trashy, trivial, of little value) · bg незначи́телен (trashy, trivial, of little value) · mi koroiti (trashy, trivial, of little value) · es mesquino (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · nl waardeloos (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · de dürftig (trashy, trivial, of little value) · nl armzalig (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · grc φαῦλος (trashy, trivial, of little value) · fr dérisoire (trashy, trivial, of little value) · es nimio (trashy, trivial, of little value) · pl marny (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · el τιποτένιος (trashy, trivial, of little value) · el ασήμαντος (trashy, trivial, of little value) · ja 僅かばかりの (trashy, trivial, of little value) · it miserabile (trashy, trivial, of little value) · mi tangatakimōrī (trashy, trivial, of little value) · bg дре́бен (trashy, trivial, of little value) · ru презренный (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · sh tričav (trashy, trivial, of little value) · el μηδαμινός (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · sh bijedan (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · ru ничтожный (trashy, trivial, of little value) · it modesto (trashy, trivial, of little value) · es despreciable (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · ja 取るに足らぬ (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · de geringfügig (trashy, trivial, of little value) · es mezquino (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · es mísero (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · sh mizeran (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · it irrisorio (trashy, trivial, of little value) · bg мизе́рен (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · pt insignificante (trashy, trivial, of little value) · pt pífio (trashy, trivial, of little value) · ru незначи́тельный (trashy, trivial, of little value) · mi hauwarea (trashy, trivial, of little value) · pl kiepski (trashy, trivial, of little value) · cmn 無價值 /无价值 (trashy, trivial, of little value) · el ισχνός (meager; worthless; pitiful; trifling) · cs ubohý (trashy, trivial, of little value) · no ussel (trashy, trivial, of little value)