- 1
Trifling means so small or that it is not worth bothering about — a trifling sum of money, a trifling mistake, a trifling difference between two plans.
Trifling means so small or unimportant that it is not worth bothering abouttrifling的意思是小到、不重要到不值得理會 a trifling sum of money, a trifling mistake, a trifling difference between two plans像a trifling sum of money（一筆微不足道的錢）、a trifling mistake（一個不起眼的小錯）、a trifling difference between two plans（兩個方案之間微不足道的差異）
The word does more than measure size; it judges. When a speaker calls something trifling, they are telling you to stop worrying about it, or, when they are , that someone else made a fuss over nothing. It often appears with money, where 'a trifling amount' means an amount so small it is almost an insult.
The word does more than measure size; it judges這個字不只是在衡量大小，它還帶著評斷 When a speaker calls something trifling, they are telling you to stop worrying about it當說話者把某件事說成trifling，他們是在告訴你別再為這件事煩惱了 or, when they are annoyed, that someone else made a fuss over nothing或者，當他們感到不耐煩時，是在說別人為了一件小事小題大做 It often appears with money它常常跟錢一起出現 where 'a trifling amount' means an amount so small it is almost an insult「a trifling amount」指的是一筆小到近乎是種侮辱的金額
It is a formal, old-fashioned, rather literary word — you meet it in novels, legal writing and speeches far more than in conversation, where people say tiny, minor, or 'no big deal'.
It is a formal, old-fashioned, rather literary word這是個正式、老派、頗有文學味的字 you meet it in novels, legal writing and speeches far more than in conversation你在小說、法律文件和演講裡遇到它的機會，遠比在對話裡多 where people say tiny, minor, or 'no big deal'在對話裡人們會說tiny（很小）、minor（次要），或「no big deal沒什麼大不了」
Careful: in African American English, 'trifling' is a live and quite different insult for a person who is lazy, useless, or does not do right by others — 'that trifling man'. A student who reads only the dictionary sense will misread that completely.
Careful: in African American English, 'trifling' is a live and quite different insult要小心：在非裔美式英語裡，「trifling」是一個活生生、意思完全不同的罵人字眼 for a person who is lazy, useless, or does not do right by others用來罵一個懶惰、沒用，或對別人不厚道的人 'that trifling man'像「that trifling man那個沒用的傢伙」 A student who reads only the dictionary sense will misread that completely只讀字典意思的學生，會完全誤解這種用法
組成trifle + -ing. A trifle is a thing of little value, so trifling is 'being of little value'. (In Britain a trifle is also a dessert of cake, fruit and cream — the same word, from the idea of something light and slight.)
同家族的字
- triflethe root noun and verb: a thing of no importance
原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
triflingadj/ˈtɹaɪfliŋ/
- 1
Trivial, or of little importance.
- […] It is not ſo decorous in reſpect of God, that he ſhould αὐτουργεῖν ἅπαντα [autourgeîn hápanta], ſet his ovvn hand as it vvere to every vvork, and immediately do all the meaneſt and triflingſt things himſelf drudgingly, vvithout making uſe of any inferior or ſubordinate Miniſters.
- However, upon a ſtrict Review, I blotted out ſeveral Paſſages of leſs Moment which were in my firſt Copy, for fear of being cenſured as tedious and trifling, whereof Travellers are often, perhaps not without Juſtice, accuſed.
- 2
Frivolous.
- For, really, as it is a trifling Age, ſo nothing but Trifles are valued in it. Men read none but trifling Authors, purſue none but trifling Amusements, and contend for none but trifling Opinions. A trifling Fellow is prefer'd, a trifling Woman admir'd.
- 3
Good-for-nothing; shady or lazy; scrub.
- You trifling good for nothin’ type of brother.
- My hand was aching to slap that silly heifer. I told her to take her trifling ass down to Burger King and get herself a job flipping burgers […]
triflingnoun/ˈtɹaɪfliŋ/
- 1
The act of one who trifles; frivolous behaviour.
- He writes on the principle, of course, that in one's dotage we are privileged to return to the triflings of our infancy, and that Downing Street cannot be better employed in these days than as a chapel of ease to Eton.
這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形：
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。