as in minor
lacking importance
you should delegate these fiddling matters to your staff so that you can focus on more important issues
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fidgeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements
the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheating
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
conscienceless grifters who had spent their lives fiddling the naive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fiddling
Eric Gordy, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018
Saturday Fiddle Contest: 11 a.m. at Alyeska Pipeline Colony Stage
Grab your fiddle and play a tune or just check out some of the state’s best sawing on their instruments in a number of categories, including youth, teen, open and twin fiddling.
—Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2023
Again, no fiddling.
—Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2020
With more time on her hands, Henderson has been learning improvisation, bluegrass fiddling and improvisation.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2020
This camera snaps great pics on the fly, with just a touch more fiddling required for focus at times, versus say the Pixel 7 Pro.
—Dave Altavilla, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023
This is consistent with data manipulation, actual fiddling of the results, which is outright fraud - although there are some more benign possibilities.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2014
The satisfactions of this revival of A Man of No Importance are all in that smaller-scale fiddling: both literally, in the sense of a bit of violin-playing onstage, and in a cast of supporting performances all crafted with delicacy.
—Vulture, 31 Oct. 2022
This week’s event highlights include the sounds of the islands when top Hawaiian musicians play in Hillsboro, as well as Scottish fiddling, Greek dancing, and the opening of a large-scale sculpture exhibit at the Portland Japanese Garden.
—oregonlive, 28 Sep. 2022
Noun
Such is always the case with this sort of self-interested fiddling.
—Eric Gordy, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018
Saturday Fiddle Contest: 11 a.m. at Alyeska Pipeline Colony Stage
Grab your fiddle and play a tune or just check out some of the state’s best sawing on their instruments in a number of categories, including youth, teen, open and twin fiddling.
—Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2023
Again, no fiddling.
—Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2020
With more time on her hands, Henderson has been learning improvisation, bluegrass fiddling and improvisation.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2020
This camera snaps great pics on the fly, with just a touch more fiddling required for focus at times, versus say the Pixel 7 Pro.
—Dave Altavilla, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023
This is consistent with data manipulation, actual fiddling of the results, which is outright fraud - although there are some more benign possibilities.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2014
The satisfactions of this revival of A Man of No Importance are all in that smaller-scale fiddling: both literally, in the sense of a bit of violin-playing onstage, and in a cast of supporting performances all crafted with delicacy.
—Vulture, 31 Oct. 2022
This week’s event highlights include the sounds of the islands when top Hawaiian musicians play in Hillsboro, as well as Scottish fiddling, Greek dancing, and the opening of a large-scale sculpture exhibit at the Portland Japanese Garden.
—oregonlive, 28 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddling
Adjective
-
Over a decade later, the streaming space is filled with entries from major and minor media companies alike.Bruce Gil, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
-
Walman is dealing with a minor upper-body injury incurred in the first period of Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Neither of the two has ever confirmed that the reason for their breakup was indeed cheating, and Garfield and Stone remain friends to this day.Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 21 Oct. 2024
-
This might seem like cheating, but both.Billboard Japan, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Researchers trained rats to jog on a treadmill To scientifically measure that observation, researchers captured two dozen vampire bats from Belize and trained them to use a small treadmill typically used to measure the metabolic rates of rats.Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
-
His priorities include veterans’ rights, advocating for small businesses, protecting the border and education, according to his campaign website. AD-64 includes a portion of Los Angeles County and La Habra in Orange County.Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Be warned, though: make some extra room in your suitcase for souvenirs, because this little city has a whole lot to offer.Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
-
Last month, the White House confirmed that North Korea—a country with few allies and little money—had sent thousands of soldiers to join Russia in its war against Ukraine.Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Remove chips from oven; immediately sprinkle evenly with paprika mixture, tossing until evenly coated.Melissa Gray, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2024
-
To convince shoppers to recycle instead of tossing used clothing, Blue Jeans Go Green was designed to be convenient.Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The latest consumer price index is expected to show a slight increase for October.Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
-
The Slack survey found a slight increase in AI usage, up one percentage point between March and August 2024 for US respondents (32% to 33%).Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
His ability to speak and mobility were somewhat hampered but his mind was as sharp as ever.Mayu Saini, WWD, 3 Nov. 2024
-
Richardson flashed his arm strength and mobility last Sunday, but his 10-of-32 day through the air resulted in Colts coach Shane Steichen turning to Flacco for this week's trip to Minnesota.David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Increasing the hub-gap shortened the spokes, forcing the chain block inwards and creating a circular wheel for quick locomotion.New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Aug. 2024
-
Building those locomotion recognition systems currently relies on elaborate policies that define what actuators in an exoskeleton need to do in each possible scenario.Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 1 July 2024
Articles Related to fiddling
Thesaurus Entries Near fiddling
Cite this Entry
“Fiddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddling. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share