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View synonyms for

trivial

[triv-ee-uhl]

adjective

  1. of very little importance or value; insignificant.

    Don't bother me with trivial matters.

    Synonyms: , , , , , ,
    Antonyms:
  2. commonplace; ordinary.

  3. Biology.(of names of organisms) specific, as distinguished from generic.

  4. Mathematics.

    1. noting a solution of an equation in which the value of every variable of the equation is equal to zero.

    2. (of a theorem, proof, or the like) simple, transparent, or immediately evident.

  5. Chemistry.(of names of chemical compounds) derived from the natural source, or of historic origin, and not according to the systematic nomenclature.

    Picric acid is the trivial name of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol.



trivial

/ ˈٰɪɪə /

adjective

  1. of little importance; petty or frivolous

    trivial complaints

  2. ordinary or commonplace; trite

    trivial conversation

  3. maths (of the solutions of a set of homogeneous equations) having zero values for all the variables

  4. biology denoting the specific name of an organism in binomial nomenclature

  5. biology chem denoting the popular name of an organism or substance, as opposed to the scientific one

  6. of or relating to the trivium

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • trivially adverb
  • supertrivial adjective
  • untrivial adjective
  • untrivially adverb
  • ˈٰ adverb
  • ˈٰԱ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of trivial1

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin ٰ “belonging to the crossroads or street corner,” hence “commonplace,” equivalent to tri- “three” + vi(a) “road” + - adjective suffix; tri-, -al 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of trivial1

C15: from Latin ٰ belonging to the public streets, common, from trivium crossroads, junction of three roads, from tri- + via road
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Synonym Study

See petty.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

So here we are and, of course, I can’t help wondering why I’m even discussing something as seemingly trivial and, yes, even soft, at a time when our lives are threatened.

From

He doesn’t just distract – he rewrites the story in real time, making the serious seem trivial, and the trivial seem epochal.

From

This is called trivial compositionality, and it has been observed in animals in the past.

From

Ji Seok-bin, a 27-year-old who is a regular at Starbucks, said he thought the rule was "too trivial", though he said he understood the logic behind it given the country's heightened political tensions.

From

Arguments are the “Star Wars” universe’s conversation stimulant, but they tend to concern trivial matters.

From

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triviatrivialism