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Glite Dictionary
paltriness

paltriness

1 9.0
A small, unimportant thing or amount that seems unfair and of little value
  • noun
  • /ˈpɔltrɪnəs/
translation icon : mezquindad

Examples

  • The sad moment came when she read the letter to Panama from Winsome Clark, complaining to her husband who worked in the Canal Zone about the paltriness and insufficiency of the money he had sent her—money of so little help she was giving up her job, picking up the children, and returning to Barbados.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The paltriness of the donation shocked the charity, as it hardly covered their monthly expenses.

  • Many people were disappointed by the paltriness of the prizes offered at the contest.

  • The criticism highlighted the paltriness of the government's response to the crisis.

Synonyms

sorriness
vspaltriness
  • Literature
9.5

A state of being not important or worth little

adds moral meanness rather than just low value

Antonyms

value
∞ 1.3

How much something is worth in money or how useful it is

importance
663 1.0

A quality that makes something have great value or effect

How Important

paltriness
1 9.0
trifle
18 4.6

Surface Forms

paltriness singular
paltrinesses plural

Morphology

paltriness = paltry (transparent) = paltry + ness

A regular nominalization of the adjective 'paltry' with '-ness' forming the abstract noun meaning 'the quality of being paltry', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

Paltriness comes from the older word paltry, which once described small, ragged, or low-value things. So paltriness means the quality of being 'small' or 'worthless', something with little value or importance.