trifle

noun trifles

1. countable, uncountable An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream. It is interesting to watch the surface joviality on screen while racism is layered between courses like soggy trifles.
2. countable, figuratively, uncountable Anything that is of little importance or worth. Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmation strong / As proofs of holy writ.
3. countable, figuratively, uncountable An insignificant amount of money. A trifle, some eight-penny matter.
4. countable, figuratively, uncountable A very small amount (of something). This Line leaves out […] Poplar and Black-vvall, vvhich are indeed contiguous, a Trifle of Ground excepted, and very populous.

   Similar: smidgen, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental, bit, crumb, glimpse, dab

5. countable, uncountable A particular kind of pewter.
6. uncountable Utensils made from this particular kind of pewter.

Similar: bagatelle, bag of shells, bric-a-brac, dicky, dicky-bird, fico, fig, inconsequential, flamfew, flyspeck, minuity, niff-naff, picayune, scuddick, sop, ticky-tack, toy, trick, trifle, triviality, whiffle, white chip

verb trifles · trifling · trifled

1. intransitive To deal with something as if it were of little importance or worth. You must not trifle with her affections.
2. intransitive To act, speak, or otherwise behave with jest. […] playing and trifling are completely banished out of my mind […]
3. intransitive To inconsequentially toy with something. Mr. Micawber, leaning back in his chair, trifled with his eye-glass and cast his eyes up at the ceiling […]

   Similar: fiddle

4. transitive To squander or waste. We trifle time: I pray thee, pursue sentence.

   Similar: fritter, wanton

5. obsolete, transitive To make a trifle of, to make trivial. […] but this sore night / Hath trifled former knowings.