What is the Latin word for trifling?

The usual Latin words for “trifling” are ineptia, levis, exiguus; also parvus, minuō, abiciō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“trifling” in Latin

ineptiasilliness, folly, absurdity levislight, not heavy; easy to digest; quick, swift, fleet, nimble, rapid exiguusstrict, exact; paltry, inadequate, small, scanty, slight, little parvussmall; little; puny; cheap; petty; trifling; ignorable; unimportant minuōto make smaller, lessen, diminish, reduce, minimize; to attenuate, appease, suppress, repress, quell; to dismember, tear abiciōto throw or hurl down or away, cast or push away or aside; to give up, abandon; expose; discard; to humble, degrade, red mediocrismiddling, moderate, medium; tolerable, ordinary, normal; mediocre, indifferent dīligōto esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something); to set apart by choosing, to single (something) out, to

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

trifling s.

ineptiae: *minutiarum studium (after minutiarum studiosus). Away with this trifling! tolle has ineptias.

trifling adj.

levis: exiguus: parvus: parvus dictu (e.g., res; opposed to magni momenti res) [SYN. in INCONSIDERABLE]: minutus (insignificant): abjectus (common, low): mediocris (not great). Accuracy or care in trifling matters, minutiae subtilitas or diligentia: trifling investigations, quaestiones minutae. A trifling present, leve munus; munus levidense (once, Cic., Fam., 9, 12, quite at the end): for a more trifling cause, leviore de causa (Caes.): such trifling matters, tantulae res: such trifling occupations or engagements, tantularum rerum occupationes (the business, trouble, etc., such trifling matters cause): no trifling sum, nummi non mediocris summae: to propose trifling questions, res minutas quaerere; minutas interrogationes proponere: to be fond of trifling pursuits, minutiarum esse studiosum: to consider anything as a trifling matter, aliquid parvi facere, or (Tac.) in levi habere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for trifling?: The usual Latin words for “trifling” are ineptia, levis, exiguus; also parvus, minuō, abiciō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.