triviality

/ˌtrɪviˈæləti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌtrɪviˈæləti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌtri-vē-ˈa-lə-tē/ (ame, mw)

triviality — noun

  • trivialitysingular
  • trivialitiesplural

1. a small, unimportant matter, detail, or object that people waste time on or give

1.名詞B2
釋義

a small, unimportant matter, detail, or object that people waste time on or give too much attention to, even though it does not deserve it

例句

The committee argued about trivialities like whether the font should be 11 or 12 points.

countable plural: trivialities + like [examples]

While planning the wedding, Sofia ignored trivialities such as the shade of the napkins.

collocation: ignore trivialities

同義詞
  • trifle

    a small unimportant thing — slightly more informal, and also used adverbially in phrases like 'a trifle too expensive'

  • detail

    a specific piece of information — neutral; a detail can be important or unimportant, unlike a triviality which is always unimportant

  • nothing

    something of no importance — more colloquial, common in spoken English ('It's nothing')

反義詞
  • priority

    something regarded as more important than other matters

文法句型

trivialities + like [examples]

plural: trivialities

用法筆記

Commonly used in the plural form 'trivialities' when listing several small, unimportant matters. The singular form ('a triviality') is less frequent but grammatically correct for referring to one specific item.

常見錯誤

❌Stop discussing about trivialities.
✅Stop discussing trivialities.
💡The verb 'discuss' takes a direct object without the preposition 'about'.
❌These triviality are not important.
✅These trivialities are not important.
💡When countable and plural, the noun must take the -ies ending.

2. the quality or condition of being so ordinary, minor, or insignificant that some

2.名詞C1
釋義

the quality or condition of being so ordinary, minor, or insignificant that something is not worth noticing, discussing, or taking seriously

例句

The sheer triviality of the gossip made Mei wonder why anyone would waste time on it.

pattern: the triviality of [something]

No one at the conference could ignore the triviality of the topics on the agenda.

同義詞
  • insignificance

    the quality of being unimportant — more formal and neutral, focuses on lacking significance rather than being dismissive

  • pettiness

    the quality of being small-minded or overly focused on small things — carries a stronger negative, judgemental connotation

  • frivolity

    lack of seriousness — suggests silliness or playfulness rather than just being unimportant

反義詞

文法句型

the triviality of + [noun phrase]

用法筆記

This uncountable sense is frequently followed by 'of + noun phrase' to specify what is being described as unimportant. Common in formal criticism, reviews, and analytical contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The triviality of the problem were obvious.
✅The triviality of the problem was obvious.
💡'Triviality' here is uncountable and takes a singular verb.