Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Piddling |
PiddlingAdjective1. (informal terms) small and of little importance; "a fiddling sum of money"; "a footling gesture"; "our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war"; "a little (or small) matter"; "Mickey Mouse regulations"; "a dispute over niggling details"; "limited to petty enterprises"; "piffling efforts"; "giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "piddling" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1644. (references) |
Synonyms: PiddlingSynonyms: fiddling (adj), footling (adj), lilliputian (adj), little (adj), niggling (adj), petty (adj), picayune (adj), piffling (adj), trivial (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Unimportance | Trifling, trivial; slight, slender, light, flimsy, frothy, idle; puerile; (foolish); airy, shallow; weak; powerless; frivolous, petty, niggling; piddling, peddling; fribble, inane, ridiculous, farcical; finical, finikin; fiddle-faddle, fingle-fangle, namby-pamby, wishy-washy, milk and water. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Piddling |
| Etymologies containing "piddling": Piddle. (references) |
| "Piddling" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 90.91% of the time. "Piddling" is used about 11 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 90.91% | 10 | 111,207 |
| Lexical Verb (-ing form) | 9.09% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 11 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Language | Translations for "piddling"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i vockël (fine, minuscule, minute, pettifogging, picayune, pinpoint, potty, puny, slight, teeny, tiny, trifling, wee, wispy), i parëndësishëm (dispensable, exiguous, immaterial, inconsequential, indifferent, inessential, insignificant, light, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, one horse, paltry, petty, puny, small, small time, tenuous, tin, trivial, unessential, unimportant). (various references) | |
Arabic | تافه (banal, commonplace, contemptible, crummy, fade, fiddling, flat, foolish, footling, fractional, frivolous, frothy, good for nothing, inane, inconsiderable, insignificant, junk, light, lilliputian, little, lowbrow, measly, minute, naught, negligible, niggling, nonsensical, nugatory, null, paltry, pedestrian, petty, pimping, piteous, pitiable, platitudinous, pointless, puny, ridiculous, run of the mill, silly, slight, slim, small time, smelly, stupid, trifle, trifling, trite, trivial, trumpery, two a penny, two bit, twopenny-halfpenny, unimportant, unsavory, unsavoury, unworthy, vain, valueless, vapid, vile, worthless), زهيد (cheap, paltry, poor, scanty, scrimpy, small, trivial), ضئيل (bantam, exiguous, fractional, imperceptible, insignificant, little, lowbrow, meager, meagre, nominal, puny, sketchy, slender, sparse, stingy, thin, wretched). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | незначителен (cheap, dinky, fiddling, fractional, frivolous, immaterial, imperceptible, inappreciable, inconsiderable, inessential, inglorious, insignificant, least, little, mean, minor, minute, negligible, niggling, nominal, noteless, nugatory, obscure, one horse, outside, paltry, peddling, pettifogging, petty, picayune, piffling, pimping, pokey, poky, poor, potty, puerile, pygmy, rabbity, scrubby, slight, small, small time, subfusc, tenuous, third class, tiddly, trifling, trivial, two-by-four, twopenny-halfpenny, unconsidered, unimportant), дребен (dinky, dwarf, finical, finicking, finicky, insignificant, little, minor, niggling, paltry, peddling, petty, picayune, pimping, pokey, poky, poor, potty, puerile, puny, pygmy, rabbity, sawed-off, shabby, short, small, small time, small-scale, trifling, trivial, undersized, unimportant, venial). (various references) | |
Czech | triviální (banal, frivolous, platitudinous, trifling, trivial), nepodstatný (desultory, immaterial, irrelevant, unimportant), malicherný (fussy, narrow minded, niggling, parish pump, peddling, pettifogging, punctilious, sleeveless, small, small minded). (various references) | |
Farsi | ناچیز (Inconsequential, Inconsiderable, Little, Meager, Negligible, Nugatory, Pelting, Peppercorn, Poor, Runty, Scrimp, Straw, Teeny, Trifle, Trivial, Vain), جزءی (Immaterial, Imperceptible, Inappreciative, Inconsiderable, Inconspicuous, Little, Minuscule, Minute, Negligible, Nip, Nominal, Paltry, Partial, Peppercorn, Petty, Remote, Retail, Rush, Small, Snatch, Trivial, Vain), بی اهمیت (Immaterial, Inconsequential, Inconsiderable, Negligible, Unimportant, Unmeaning, Weeny). (various references) | |
French | minable, insignifiant (picayune, piffling), futile (piffling), de rien. (various references) | |
German | pinkelnd. (various references) | |
Greek | μικρόσ (little, minor, petit, petty, piccaroon, puny, scrimp, short, slight, small), ασήμαντοσ (fiddling, immaterial, inconsequential, insignificant, minor, negligible, niggling, nobody, nonessential, nugatory, paltry, potty, purportless, slight, trifling, trivial, unessential, unimportant), τιποτένιοσ (chaffy, measly, paltry, petty, scamp, scummy, trashy, trifling, two-penny, worthless). (various references) | |
Hungarian | vacak (bleeding, cheesy, contemptible, crummy, despicable, dross, flaming, lousy, mangy, measly, moldy, mouldy, number, paltry, pelting, pokey, potty, punk, ratty, raunchy, rinky-dink, rubbishy, ruddy, schlock, scurvied, shocking, shoddy, tacky, tatty, tinhorn, tin-pot, trash, trashy). (various references) | |
Italian | insignificante (inexpressive, insignificant, irrelevant, meaningless, minor, negligible, niggling, petty, picayune, potty, slight, trifling, trivial). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | いかなる 合でも (anumber of, bad, bitch, come, complication, crucial moment, difficulties, forbidden, in any case, innocent, lovable, many, must not do, no entry, not good, now, paltry, pathetic, pitiful, quarrel, reserved, servile, stubborn Kochi man, sweet, tangle, that's too bad, timid, to come, to grow timid, to orgasm, trouble, unable to be honest, well, whatever the case may be, wrong). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | いじましい (paltry). (various references) | |
Manx | jannoo moon (piddle). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | iddlingpay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | trivial (banal, blanket, bread and butter, common, commonplace, course, dismal, inelaborate, light, pedestrian, petty, platitudinarian, platitudinous, potty, prosy, puerile, quotidian, slight, small, threadbare, trifling, trite, trivial, unimportant, uninspired, vulgar), insignificante (bald, fiddle-faddle, frivolous, inconsiderable, inferior, insignificant, little, mean, negligible, one-horse, paltry, petty, picayune, pimping, pitiable, pony, poor, potty, puny, scrubby, small, trifling, trivial, unimportant, wispy), fútil (conceited, coxcombical, feckless, frivolity, frivolous, frothy, futile, nugatory, peddling, silliness, slight, trifling, vain). (various references) | |
Romanian | nefolositor (castaway, Duff, futile, idle, of no avail, profitless, unfit, unsuitable, useless, waste), neînsemnat (cheap, fractional, immaterial, inconsequent, inconsiderable, indifferent, insignificant, irrelevant, light, little, minor, modest, negligeable, negligible, paltry, peddling, petty, piffling, slender, slight, small, trifling, trivial). (various references) | |
Russian | мелкий (dusty, fine, minute, paltry, peanut politician, pettifogging, petty, potty, shallow, shoal, small minded, small time, small-time, two-by-four). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | sitan (minute, petty, small, trifling, trivial, wee), nevažan (importless, non essential, unimportant). (various references) | |
Spanish | menudo (cramped, doited, fine, fractional, minute, pretty, small). (various references) | |
Swedish | obetydlig (baubling, dinky, fiddling, footling, fractional, fractionary, frivolous, futile, inappreciable, inconsequent, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, low, lowly, mean, minute, negligible, nobody, nugatory, one horse, peddling, picayune, slight, tenuous, trivial). (various references) | |
Turkish | küçük (baby, bantam, child, fiddling, inconsiderable, infant, infra-, junior, kid, little, micro-, mini, mini-, minor, minuscule, nano-, not healthy, one horse, paltry, peanut, petit, petty, poky, remote, slight, small, snug, tiddly, trifling, trivial, undersized, young, younger), önemsiz (back burner, derisive, derisory, dinky, empty, fiddling, footling, immaterial, inconsequential, inconsiderable, inconspicuous, indifferent, inessential, insignificant, jerkwater, minute, negligible, no-account, non essential, nonessential, not healthy, not worth a fig, null, of no account, of no significance, of no worth, one horse, paltry, paper, peanut, peddling, petty, picayune, picayunish, poky, potty, quotidian, scrubby, secondary, slight, small, smalltime, trifling, trivial, tuppeny, unessential, unimportant, unsubstantial, worthless, yeasty). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | дріб'язковий (cheeseparing, fribble, mean-spirited, near, niggling, nugacious, nugatory, penny-wise, pettifogging, toy, trifling), дрібний (bantam, fractional, hair splitting, little, minute, negligible, niggling, picayune, potty, sectarian, small, small minded, tin-pot). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"Piddling" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: peddlin, Pedxing, Pitsligo. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "piddling" (pronounced pi"duling or pi"dling) |
| 6 | -i" d u l i ng | middling. |
| 5 | -d u l i ng | backpedaling, bundling, coddling, cradling, dwindling, fondling, huddling, hurdling, idling, meddling, modeling, muddling, paddling, pedaling, peddling, remodeling, saddling, yodeling. |
| 4 | -u l i ng | ambling, assembling, babbling, baffling, barreling, battling, belittling, bicycling, boggling, bottling, bristling, bubbling, bugling, bumbling, bungling, bustling, cackling, canceling, cancelling, channeling, chortling, circling, commingling, counseling, crippling, crumbling, cycling, dabbling, dangling, dazzling, Dialing, disabling, disgruntling, dismantling, doubling, dribbling, drizzling, embezzling, empaneling, enabling, encircling, entitling, equaling, fizzling, fumbling, funneling, gambling, giggling, gobbling, groveling, grueling, grumbling, gurgling, guzzling, haggling, hassling, hobbling, humbling, hustling, imperiling, initialing, intermingling, jiggling, jostling, juggling, labeling, leveling, mangling, marshaling, mingling, mislabeling, mottling, mumbling, muscling, nibbling, paneling, parceling, pummeling, puzzling, quadrupling, quarreling, quibbling, raveling, recycling, redoubling, refueling, resembling, reshuffling, reveling, rippling, rivaling, ruffling, rumbling, scrambling, scribbling, scuttling, settling, shriveling, shuttling, signaling, signalling, singling, sizzling, spiraling, spiralling, squabbling, stapling, stenciling, strangling, struggling, stumbling, swiveling, tabling, throttling, tingling, tinkling, toppling, totaling, totalling, toweling, traveling, travelling, trembling, tripling, troubling, tumbling, tunneling, twinkling, unraveling, unsettling, waggling, warbling, wiggling, wobbling, wrangling, wrinkling. |
| 3 | -l i ng | annealing, appalling, appealing, ailing, angling, assailing, bailing, baling, balling, bankrolling, beguiling, Belling, billing, blackmailing, boiling, Bolling, bowling, brawling, broiling, buckling, burgling, burling, cajoling, calling, Carling, ceiling, chilling, chronicling, chuckling, compelling, compiling, concealing, consoling, controlling, cooling, corralling, countervailing, coupling, cowling, crackling, crawling, cuddling, culling, curling, curtailing, darling, dawdling, dealing, decoupling, derailing, detailing, dispelling, dissembling, distilling, doling, drilling, drooling, duckling, dueling, dulling, dumpling, dwelling, earthling, emailing, enrolling, entailing, entangling, excelling, expelling, extolling, failing, falling, feeling, felling, fiddling, filing, filling, flailing, fledgling, foaling, foiling, fooling, forestalling, foretelling, fouling, foundling, freewheeling, fueling, fuelling, fulfilling, galling, grappling, Grayling, grilling, groundling, growling, hailing, handling, hauling, healing, heckling, helling, hilling, holing, howling, hurling, hurtling, inhaling, inkling, installing, instilling, jailing, Keeling, killing, kindling, kneeling, lolling, Lulling, mailing, Marling, Melling, milling, mishandling, misspelling, mothballing, mulling, nailing, needling, nestling, nonruling, oiling, outselling, overbilling, overhauling, overkilling, overruling, overselling, panhandling, paralleling, parboiling, paroling, patrolling, pearling, peeling, pickling, piling, Pilling, Pindling, poling, polling, pooling, prevailing, profiling, propelling, prowling, pulling, quelling, quilling, Quisling, railing, rambling, rankling, rappelling, rattling, rebelling, recalling, reconciling, reeling, regaling, rekindling, repealing, repelling, rescheduling, reselling, retailing, retelling, retooling, revealing, ridiculing, Riesling, rifling, rilling, roiling, rolling, rototilling, ruling, rustling, sailing, sampling, Sandling, sapling, scaling, scheduling, Schilling, schooling, scowling, sealing, seedling, Seeling, selling, shelling, shilling, shoveling, shuffling, sibling, skilling, smelling, smiling, smuggling, snarling, Snelling, snowballing, sparkling, Sparling, spelling, spilling, spoiling, sprawling, sprinkling, squealing, stalling, starling, startling, stealing, sterling, stifling, stockpiling, stonewalling, storytelling, straddling, strickling, stripling, strolling, styling, suckling, surveilling, swashbuckling, swelling, swilling, swindling, swirling, tackling, tailing, tangling, telling, thrilling, Tilling, toddling, toggling, toiling, tolling, tooling, trailing, trampling, trickling, trifling, trilling, trolling, twiddling, twirling, unappealing, unavailing, unbundling, underling, underselling, unfailing, unfeeling, unfurling, unsmiling, untangling, unveiling, unwilling, veiling, waffling, wailing, walling, weakling, welling, whaling, wheeling, whirling, whistling, whittling, wholesaling, wiling, willing, wrestling, yearling, yelling. |
| 5 | -i" d l i ng | fiddling, twiddling. |
| 4 | -d l i ng | cuddling, dawdling, foundling, groundling, handling, kindling, mishandling, needling, panhandling, Pindling, rekindling, Sandling, seedling, straddling, swindling, toddling, unbundling. |
| 3 | -l i ng | annealing, appalling, appealing, ailing, ambling, angling, assailing, assembling, babbling, backpedaling, baffling, bailing, baling, balling, bankrolling, barreling, battling, beguiling, belittling, Belling, bicycling, billing, blackmailing, boggling, boiling, Bolling, bottling, bowling, brawling, bristling, broiling, bubbling, buckling, bugling, bumbling, bundling, bungling, burgling, burling, bustling, cackling, cajoling, calling, canceling, cancelling, Carling, ceiling, channeling, chilling, chortling, chronicling, chuckling, circling, coddling, commingling, compelling, compiling, concealing, consoling, controlling, cooling, corralling, counseling, countervailing, coupling, cowling, crackling, cradling, crawling, crippling, crumbling, culling, curling, curtailing, cycling, dabbling, dangling, darling, dazzling, dealing, decoupling, derailing, detailing, Dialing, disabling, disgruntling, dismantling, dispelling, dissembling, distilling, doling, doubling, dribbling, drilling, drizzling, drooling, duckling, dueling, dulling, dumpling, dwelling, dwindling, earthling, emailing, embezzling, empaneling, enabling, encircling, enrolling, entailing, entangling, entitling, equaling, excelling, expelling, extolling, failing, falling, feeling, felling, filing, filling, fizzling, flailing, fledgling, foaling, foiling, fondling, fooling, forestalling, foretelling, fouling, freewheeling, fueling, fuelling, fulfilling, fumbling, funneling, galling, gambling, giggling, gobbling, grappling, Grayling, grilling, groveling, growling, grueling, grumbling, gurgling, guzzling, haggling, hailing, hassling, hauling, healing, heckling, helling, hilling, hobbling, holing, howling, huddling, humbling, hurdling, hurling, hurtling, hustling, idling, imperiling, inhaling, initialing, inkling, installing, instilling, intermingling, jailing, jiggling, jostling, juggling, Keeling, killing, kneeling, labeling, leveling, lolling, Lulling, mailing, mangling, Marling, marshaling, meddling, Melling, middling, milling, mingling, mislabeling, misspelling, modeling, mothballing, mottling, muddling, mulling, mumbling, muscling, nailing, nestling, nibbling, nonruling, oiling, outselling, overbilling, overhauling, overkilling, overruling, overselling, paddling, paneling, paralleling, parboiling, parceling, paroling, patrolling, pearling, pedaling, peddling, peeling, pickling, piling, Pilling, poling, polling, pooling, prevailing, profiling, propelling, prowling, pulling, pummeling, puzzling, quadrupling, quarreling, quelling, quibbling, quilling, Quisling, railing, rambling, rankling, rappelling, rattling, raveling, rebelling, recalling, reconciling, recycling, redoubling, reeling, refueling, regaling, remodeling, repealing, repelling, rescheduling, reselling, resembling, reshuffling, retailing, retelling, retooling, revealing, reveling, ridiculing, Riesling, rifling, rilling, rippling, rivaling, roiling, rolling, rototilling, ruffling, ruling, rumbling, rustling, saddling, sailing, sampling, sapling, scaling, scheduling, Schilling, schooling, scowling, scrambling, scribbling, scuttling, sealing, Seeling, selling, settling, shelling, shilling, shoveling, shriveling, shuffling, shuttling, sibling, signaling, signalling, singling, sizzling, skilling, smelling, smiling, smuggling, snarling, Snelling, snowballing, sparkling, Sparling, spelling, spilling, spiraling, spiralling, spoiling, sprawling, sprinkling, squabbling, squealing, stalling, stapling, starling, startling, stealing, stenciling, sterling, stifling, stockpiling, stonewalling, storytelling, strangling, strickling, stripling, strolling, struggling, stumbling, styling, suckling, surveilling, swashbuckling, swelling, swilling, swirling, swiveling, tabling, tackling, tailing, tangling, telling, thrilling, throttling, Tilling, tingling, tinkling, toggling, toiling, tolling, tooling, toppling, totaling, totalling, toweling, trailing, trampling, traveling, travelling, trembling, trickling, trifling, trilling, tripling, trolling, troubling, tumbling, tunneling, twinkling, twirling, unappealing, unavailing, underling, underselling, unfailing, unfeeling, unfurling, unraveling, unsettling, unsmiling, untangling, unveiling, unwilling, veiling, waffling, waggling, wailing, walling, warbling, weakling, welling, whaling, wheeling, whirling, whistling, whittling, wholesaling, wiggling, wiling, willing, wobbling, wrangling, wrestling, wrinkling, yearling, yelling, yodeling. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "d-d-g-i-i-l-n-p" | |
-1 letter: lidding. | |
-2 letters: idling, pidgin, piling. | |
-3 letters: lipid, lipin, piing. | |
-4 letters: ding, gild, ling, nidi, pili, ping. | |
-5 letters: did, dig, din, dip, gid, gin, gip, lid, lin, lip, nil, nip, pig, pin. | |
| Words containing the letters "d-d-g-i-i-l-n-p" | |
+2 letters: disploding. | |
+4 letters: dilapidating. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage Frequency | 5. Translations: Modern 6. Derivations 7. Rhymes 8. Anagrams | 9. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
