Skip to main content
bagatelle

bagatelle

1 9.9
A small unimportant thing not worth worrying about
  • noun
  • /ˌbæɡəˈtɛl/
  • Literature
translation icon : bagatela
  • The fact that both Alexander and Cromarty were far more nobly born than he seemed beside the point to him, a mere bagatelle, something to be resented, perhaps, but not something a Baron of High Ridge need concern himself with.
  • a mere bagatelle

Examples

  • Just a mere bagatelle.

  • Hell, $20 isn't a mere bagatelle to me.

    Blog text (20)
  • And just ring the bell on the big bagatelle...

  • But what is that to you, milord, a mere bagatelle.

  • The obvious point is that he made it to Rome at the age of 60, and therefore he was up to the sea journey, a mere bagatelle in comparison.

    Blog text (20)
  • They'd purchased a little house in the eighth arrondissement in Paris that, for them, was just a bagatelle, since they rarely lived there.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Well, it's utter nonsense, of course, naturally, the bagatelle of a man with more money than sense, but... I haven't actually found anything to say that it couldn't work.

  • The missing documents were just a bagatelle in the grand scheme of things.

  • For most people, that argument seemed like a bagatelle and not worth their time.

  • He dismissed the complaint as a bagatelle, believing it to be unimportant.

Synonyms

bup
vsbagatelle
  • Slang
20 9.9

Something that has no value or use

is the regular term for trivial matters, not only slang
trifle
vsbagatelle
18 4.6

A small unimportant thing not worth any attention

is the general word for any minor or valueless matter
fluff
vsbagatelle
  • Literature
16 3.5

Unimportant words in writing or speech

is the general term for small trivial matters, not just writing
chaff
vsbagatelle
7 8.4

Useless or unimportant things that distract from what matters

is used more for useless leftovers than general minor matters
triviality
vsbagatelle
6 5.4

A small detail that does not matter

is the ordinary label for a minor matter rather than its general quality
frippery
vsbagatelle
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Small decorative things that are fancy and not useful

is the broader word for trivial matters rather than only decorations
flying fig
vsbagatelle
  • Archaic
1 9.6

A thing that is not important or worth worrying about

is the neutral phrase for a minor matter, not idiomatically dismissive
mere trifle
vsbagatelle
1 4.0

A small thing that is not important

is the broad term for any trivial or valueless item
fribble
vsbagatelle
  • Archaic
9.9

A small unimportant thing you do not need

is the standard word for trivial matters, not necessarily playful
folderal
vsbagatelle
  • Archaic
9.9

Small decorative things that have little value

is the general name for any trivial thing, not only decorative ones

How Important

crisis
3.1
issue
3.0
concern
906 1.7
bagatelle
  • Literature
1 9.9
minor detail
6 3.2

Surface Forms

bagatelle singular
bagatelles plural

Etymology

Bagatelle comes from the Italian word bagatella, meaning 'little thing' or 'trifle', so a bagatelle is something unimportant or of little value. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a problem so small you call it a 'trifle'.