as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
the assistant's job was to shield the president from such footling problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dawdling
to spend time doing nothing
spent the morning footling about while others were working
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of footling
Barton Swaim, WSJ, 21 June 2019
Adjective
By comparison with previous Establishment Clause cases, however, this lawsuit looked footling and rather mean.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for footling
Adjective
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Austin Public trains those producers, who, for a nominal fee, gain access to state-of-the-art equipment, studio space and content distribution for their own work.—
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Academic users will be able to access the platform for a nominal fee, while biotech and pharmaceutical companies are charged an annual subscription, which gives them the right to store their data securely, as well as a relatively low per-use charge.—
Verb
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Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
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Faster pit stops could also help unlock sales for electric two-wheelers, which have been slow to catch on due to dawdling charge times and limited riding range.—
Adjective
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The ice punishes the slightest miscalculations, demands the sharpest of focus.—
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One report found there may be a slight benefit to moderate drinking, while the other concluded that even one drink a day was linked to a wide range of harms.—
Verb
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Within a few moments, an antlerless deer emerged, loafing along toward Ronnie, completely unalarmed.—
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She is seen going over the shots planned for the next day and remembering that some loafing around is planned.—
Adjective
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Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
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Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Verb
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While strolling in New York City, Katie Holmes went for a casual vibe in baggy black jeans with a light jacket and a crossbody bag, while Jennifer Garner's pair had a touch of subtle elegance with gold-tone hardware.—
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Shuter also reported that, in Aspen, the couple were seen shopping together and holding hands while strolling around the ski town.—
Adjective
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Angel went for a respectful middle-of-the-road jab — complimenting her parenting and resilience, but maligning her for being petty.—
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Who is not petty or vindictive.—
Verb
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Later, the women were in a idling vehicle when Brown allegedly left his Jeep, walked toward them and fired at the car, court records show.—
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David McNew / Getty Images Marquez helped convert Pasadena's fire fleet to renewable diesel fuel so that his crews wouldn't keep breathing in the emissions from idling trucks.—
Cite this Entry
“Footling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footling. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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