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trifle

[trahy-fuhl] / ˈtraɪ fəl /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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The game badly misses Alcaraz—“Tennis needs him,” Sinner said Sunday—but no tennis player should trifle with a bad wrist.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 12, 2026

Still, it is the frolicsome rapport between the two stars that gives this comic trifle of a play its allure.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 20, 2026

Looking towards Christmas, the baker said he would be making a triple chocolate tart for his cousin Grace and might recreate his trifle from the show.

From BBC Dec. 16, 2025

Enter the trifle, a dessert that doesn’t get nearly enough credit for its multipurpose holiday charm.

From Salon Nov. 27, 2025

It told the world she belonged to the Dregs, that to trifle with her was to risk their vengeance.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

As the judge in that case noted, the law is not concerned with insignificant trifles.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 26, 2025

She’s interested in adding regular savories such as pasties and sausage rolls, and maybe bringing new treats such as trifles or Eton Messes to her roster.

From Seattle Times Feb. 13, 2024

Other, seemingly familiar terms — romper room, sherry trifles — have their innocence stripped from them to reveal a second, more sinister meaning.

From Washington Post Oct. 28, 2022

Its premise has taken a thousand and one shapes over the years by way of sitcoms, Lifetime women-in-peril flicks or dystopian trifles.

From Salon Apr. 1, 2021

If I can persuade a few to reveal themselves, I may be able to pick up some fairy-made trifles.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

“They trifled with us today,” Mr. Trump said Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal May 8, 2026

Her aim is to silence the messenger and leave the impression that she isn’t to be trifled with by the media, shades of Margaret Thatcher.

From Seattle Times Feb. 16, 2024

Sleep is not to be trifled with; there is nothing low-stakes about it.

From Washington Post Jan. 16, 2023

"Uncle Harlo's influence is not a thing to be trifled with. He's done us a tremendous favor. You need to remember you're not just representing yourself today."

From Salon Nov. 28, 2022

He warned that Robert Millikan’s proud institution in Pasadena was not to be trifled with.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The traffic cone guys weren't letting such trifling issues dampen their day.

From BBC Jun. 20, 2026

But it’s the songs that talk about brushing off stifling, trifling men, including the title track and “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” that have the most staying power.

From Salon Apr. 11, 2026

Before IMG and ProServ, athletes typically got trifling rewards for endorsing products.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 21, 2026

The planet’s trifling atmosphere—about 1 percent the density of our own—is notoriously too thin to help slow down a spacecraft attempting to land, but can still create turbulence and potential disaster.

From Slate Dec. 9, 2025

It would make the Grand Canyon look quaint and trifling.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson




Vocabulary lists containing trifle


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