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as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard the hotel's shabby, outdated exercise room was its paltry attempt at a health spa

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 paltry The move is poised to further push down rates for credit cards, some mortgages and auto and other loans while also trimming bank saving account yields that had finally gotten more generous after years of paltry returns. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 7 Nov. 2024 To start: November’s payrolls data showed an increase of 227,000, slightly better than expected and a big step up from October’s paltry 36,000. Jeff Cox, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2024 Their situation is precarious: Early on, in a sign of the household’s impoverishment, Tomás cuts around the mold on a piece of sourdough bread to supplement a paltry meal. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024 No longer would the crew need to cram about a dozen sets into a paltry 6,000 square feet of valuable Manhattan real estate every week. David Lachapelle, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for paltry 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paltry
Adjective
  • Mercifully, Newcastle came up against a Leicester side whose setup under Ruud van Nistelrooy was as naive as their defensive performance was pitiful.
    Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
  • The Bucs gained 156 yards on 32 carries, with the Giants’ pitiful tackling paving the way to most of those yards.
    Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Rangers: After winning the Presidents’ Trophy last year, the Rangers viewed a conference final loss to the eventual champions as an unacceptable result.
    Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Given how much aid the United States has already provided to Ukraine, there is not much room for Washington to expand the flow of arms quantitatively, and further qualitative increases would entail unacceptable escalation risks.
    Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The dancing on the death of somebody was pretty vile.
    Miranda Kennedy, Vox, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The hour sits with him as his anxiety builds, causing some to sympathize with him despite his typical vile behavior.
    EW Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The price tag for electronic travel authorizations might be nominal, but the inconvenience of being turned away at the airport—or forced to reschedule an entire trip—could be significant.
    Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
  • And while digital prints are a nominal cost, bringing back a title in 70mm or 35mm means sourcing prints and projectors and sometimes hiring projectionists, putting even greater pressure on marketing to deliver awareness.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • His role comes a year after a poor performance in his Madison Square Garden debut just eight games into his NBA career: 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and a block.
    Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 25 Dec. 2024
  • Visibility was poor because of the long shadows of winter morning.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • At its simplest, while tracking cookies are a nasty underpin to the internet, they can be seen and controlled, whether by those website popups or electing to use some form of private browsing that blocks such cookies altogether.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
  • But the only bacteria raw or pasteurized milk contain are the nasty kind—salmonella, campylobacter and the like, according to the FDA.
    Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The Fed is now projecting headline inflation of 2.4%, a slight increase from 2.3% anticipated in September, and core inflation of 2.8%, up from 2.6%.
    Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 20 Dec. 2024
  • The tomatoes were fresh and vibrant, and there was a slight sweetness from balsamic vinegar.
    Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

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Thesaurus Entries Near paltry

Cite this Entry

“Paltry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paltry. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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