Tiddling

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Extremely small or trivial in size or importance
2. So minor or slight that it hardly matters or is barely noticeable
3. Of such little significance or magnitude that it can be ignored or dismissed

Etymology: Dialect English is the most likely home of "tiddling," which appears to have meant "small" or "trifling" in local speech before it was recorded in standard dictionaries. Its exact ancestry is uncertain. It is probably connected to the dialect verb "tiddle," meaning to pamper or fuss over someone, though the link between that sense and "small" is not clearly documented. The word belongs to a family of small-scale words in English that often have a diminutive or playful sound, such as "tiddly" and "tittle," which means a tiny amount. Lexicographers generally treat "tiddling" as informal and mostly British in use, and the sense of dismissing something as too minor to matter is the one that has held steady.

Synonyms: trivial, insignificant, petty, minor, frivolous

Antonyms: important, significant, major, critical, substantial