trivial

English

Alternative forms

• triviall (obsolete)

Etymology

PIE word
*tréyes

• From Latin triviālis (“appropriate to the street-corner, commonplace, vulgar”), from trivium (“place where three roads meet”). Compare trivium, trivia.
• From the distinction between trivium (“the lower division of the liberal arts; grammar, logic and rhetoric”) and quadrivium (“the higher division of the seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages, composed of geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɪv.i.əl/, [ˈt͡ʃɹɪv.i.əl]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

trivial (comparative more trivial, superlative most trivial)

1. Ignorable; of little significance or value.
   • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 16, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     "All which details, I have no doubt, Jones, who reads this book at his Club, will pronounce to be excessively foolish, trivial, twaddling, and ultra-sentimental."

   • 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 11:

     In fact, the influence of signage in a certain area may exist anywhere on a continuum from profoundly effective to utterly trivial or completely insignificant, irrespective of the intent motivating the signs.

2. Commonplace, ordinary.
   • 1842, Thomas De Quincey, “Cicero”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine:

     As a scholar, meantime, he was trivial, and incapable of labour.

3. Concerned with or involving trivia.
4. (taxonomy) Relating to or designating the name of a species; specific as opposed to generic.
5. (mathematics) Of, relating to, or being the simplest possible case.
   1. (algebra, of an algebraic structure or ideal thereof) Containing only one element; having an underlying set which is a singleton.
6. (mathematics) Self-evident.
7. Pertaining to the trivium.
8. (philosophy) Indistinguishable in case of truth or falsity.

Synonyms

• (of little significance): ignorable, negligible, trifling

Antonyms

• nontrivial
• important
• significant
• radical
• fundamental

Derived terms

• nontrivial
• trivia
• trivial absolute value
• trivial functional dependency
• trivial group
• triviality
• trivially
• trivial name
• trivial solution
• trivial topology

 

Translations

of little significance or value

• Arabic: تافِه (tāfih)
• Belarusian: нязна́чны (njaznáčny), мізэ́рны (mizérny), трывія́льны (tryvijálʹny)
• Bulgarian: незначи́телен (bg) (neznačítelen), нищо́жен (bg) (ništóžen)
• Catalan: trivial (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無價值 / 无价值 (wú jiàzhí)

• Czech: bezvýznamný (cs)
• Esperanto: bagatela (eo)
• Estonian: tühine
• Finnish: mitätön (fi), triviaali (fi)
• French: trivial (fr), anodin (fr) m
• Galician: trivial m or f
• Georgian: უმნიშვნელო (umnišvnelo), ტრივიალური (ṭrivialuri)
• German: unbedeutend (de), bedeutungslos (de), belanglos (de), geringfügig (de)
• Greek: ασήμαντος (el) (asímantos), τιποτένιος (el) m (tipoténios), μηδαμινός (el) m (midaminós)
• Hindi: नगण्य (hi) (nagaṇya), तुच्छ (hi) (tucch)
• Hungarian: jelentéktelen (hu)
• Italian: insignificante (it), trascurabile (it)
• Japanese: つまらない (ja) (tsumaranai), 些細な (ja) (ささいな, sasai na), 末梢的な (ja) (まっしょうてきな, masshoteki na), 枝葉の (ja) (えだはの, edaha no)
• Korean: 사소하다 (ko) (sasohada)
• Latin: levis (la) m
• Malayalam: നിസ്സാര (ml) (nissāra)
• Maori: meroiti, kūrapa, tātakimōri
• Ottoman Turkish: یسیر (yesir)
• Polish: trywialny (pl), błahy (pl), bagatelny
• Portuguese: trivial (pt)
• Russian: незначи́тельный (ru) (neznačítelʹnyj), ме́лкий (ru) (mélkij), ничто́жный (ru) (ničtóžnyj), тривиа́льный (ru) (triviálʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: suarach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: три̏вија̄лан

  Roman: trȉvijālan (sh)

• Spanish: trivial (es)
• Swedish: trivial (sv), enkel (sv)
• Turkish: ıvır zıvır (tr) (informal)
• Ukrainian: незначни́й (neznačnýj), мізе́рний (uk) (mizérnyj), тривіа́льний (tryviálʹnyj)
• Urdu: اَدْنیٰ (adnā)

common, ordinary

• Bulgarian: обикнове́н (bg) (obiknovén), всекидне́вен (bg) (vsekidnéven)
• Catalan: trivial (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瑣細 / 琐细 (zh) (suǒxì), 無聊 / 无聊 (zh) (wúliáo)

• Czech: triviální (cs)
• Esperanto: banala (eo)
• Estonian: argine, tavaline
• Finnish: tavallinen (fi), yksinkertainen (fi)
• French: banal (fr) m
• Georgian: ჩვეულებრივი (čveulebrivi), ყოველდღიური (q̇oveldɣiuri), უბრალო (ubralo)
• German: trivial (de)
• Greek: κοινός (el) m (koinós)
• Hindi: सामान्य (hi) (sāmānya), साधारण (hi) (sādhāraṇ)
• Hungarian: közönséges (hu), útszéli (hu)
• Italian: banale (it), ordinario (it)
• Japanese: ありふれた (arifureta)
• Malayalam: സാധാരണ (ml) (sādhāraṇa)
• Polish: trywialny (pl)
• Portuguese: trivial (pt)
• Romanian: trivial (ro)
• Russian: тривиа́льный (ru) (triviálʹnyj), бана́льный (ru) (banálʹnyj), обы́чный (ru) (obýčnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: cumanta
• Spanish: trivial (es)
• Swedish: trivial (sv), ordinär (sv), vanlig (sv)
• Ukrainian: звича́йний (zvyčájnyj), тривіа́льний (tryviálʹnyj), неособли́вий (neosoblývyj)

concerned with or involving trivia

• Catalan: banal (ca)
• Finnish: tyhjänpäiväinen (fi), turhanaikainen
• Japanese: 蛇足の (ja) (だそくの, dasoku no)
• Ukrainian: віктори́нний (viktorýnnyj) (relating to a quiz), цікавинко́вий (cikavynkóvyj) (relating to facts about sth)

(biology) relating to, or designating a species

• Czech: druhový
• Japanese: 通称の (ja) (つうしょうの, tsūshō no)

(mathematics) of being the simplest possible case

• Belarusian: трывія́льны (tryvijálʹny)
• Esperanto: triviala
• Finnish: triviaali (fi)
• French: trivial (fr)
• German: trivial (de)
• Italian: banale (it)
• Norwegian: triviell
• Portuguese: trivial (pt)
• Russian: тривиа́льный (ru) (triviálʹnyj)
• Ukrainian: тривіа́льний (tryviálʹnyj)

(mathematics) self-evident

• Czech: triviální (cs)
• Finnish: triviaali (fi)
• French: trivial (fr)
• German: trivial (de)
• Greek: τετριμμένος (el) m (tetrimménos)
• Hungarian: nyilvánvaló (hu), magától értetődő (hu), triviális (hu)
• Icelandic: augljós
• Japanese: 自明な (ja) (じめいな, jimei na)
• Norwegian: triviell
• Portuguese: trivial (pt)
• Russian: тривиа́льный (ru) (triviálʹnyj)
• Swedish: trivial (sv), uppenbar (sv)
• Ukrainian: очеви́дний (uk) (očevýdnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} تَافِه (tāfih)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 瑣碎 / 琐碎 (zh) (suǒsuì)

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} onbeduidend (nl)
• German: ^{(please verify)} trivial (de)
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} trivialus (lt)

Noun

trivial (plural trivials)

1. (obsolete) Any of the three liberal arts forming the trivium.
   • c. 1521, John Skelton, Speke Parott:

     Tryuyals, & quatryuyals, ſo ſore now they appayre
     That Parrot the Popagay, hath pytye to beholde
     How the reſt of good lernyng, is roufled vp & trold

   • 1691, [Anthony Wood], Athenæ Oxonienses. An Exact History of All the Writers and Bishops who have had Their Education in the Most Ancient and Famous University of Oxford from the Fifteenth Year of King Henry the Seventh, Dom. 1500, to the End of the Year 1690. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] Tho[mas] Bennet […]:

     St. Edmund was bred in this University in the Trivials and Quadrivials till he was Professor of Arts

Further reading

• “trivial”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “trivial”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• trivial in Britannica Dictionary
• trivial in Macmillan Collocations Dictionary
• trivial in Ozdic collocation dictionary
• trivial in WordReference English Collocations

Anagrams

• vitrail

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [tɾi.βiˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [tɾi.viˈal]

Adjective

trivial m or f (masculine and feminine plural trivials)

1. trivial

Further reading

• “trivial” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin triviālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁi.vjal/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: triviale, triviales

Adjective

trivial (feminine triviale, masculine plural triviaux, feminine plural triviales)

1. trivial (common, easy, obvious)
2. ordinary, mundane, commonplace

   Synonyms: banal, commun, ordinaire

   Antonyms: nouveau, singulier, rare

3. inelegant, unrefined (especially of a person's language)

   Synonym: inélégant

   Antonym: raffiné

4. crass, crude, vulgar, obscene (words, language, behavior, etc.)

   Synonyms: brut, grossier, obscène

   Antonyms: courtois, gentil, poli, subtil

Derived terms

• nom trivial

Further reading

• “trivial”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• livrait, vitrail

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾiˈbjal/ [t̪ɾiˈβ̞jɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: tri‧vial

Adjective

trivial m or f (plural triviais)

1. trivial

Derived terms

• trivialidade
• trivialmente

 

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French trivial, from Latin triviālis (“common”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁiviˈaːl/
• Rhymes: -aːl

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

trivial (strong nominative masculine singular trivialer, comparative trivialer, superlative am trivialsten)

1. trivial (common, easy, obvious)

Declension

Positive forms of trivial

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist trivial	sie ist trivial	es ist trivial	sie sind trivial
strong declension (without article)	nominative	trivialer	triviale	triviales	triviale
	genitive	trivialen	trivialer	trivialen	trivialer
	dative	trivialem	trivialer	trivialem	trivialen
	accusative	trivialen	triviale	triviales	triviale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der triviale	die triviale	das triviale	die trivialen
	genitive	des trivialen	der trivialen	des trivialen	der trivialen
	dative	dem trivialen	der trivialen	dem trivialen	den trivialen
	accusative	den trivialen	die triviale	das triviale	die trivialen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein trivialer	eine triviale	ein triviales	(keine) trivialen
	genitive	eines trivialen	einer trivialen	eines trivialen	(keiner) trivialen
	dative	einem trivialen	einer trivialen	einem trivialen	(keinen) trivialen
	accusative	einen trivialen	eine triviale	ein triviales	(keine) trivialen

Comparative forms of trivial

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist trivialer	sie ist trivialer	es ist trivialer	sie sind trivialer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	trivialerer	trivialere	trivialeres	trivialere
	genitive	trivialeren	trivialerer	trivialeren	trivialerer
	dative	trivialerem	trivialerer	trivialerem	trivialeren
	accusative	trivialeren	trivialere	trivialeres	trivialere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der trivialere	die trivialere	das trivialere	die trivialeren
	genitive	des trivialeren	der trivialeren	des trivialeren	der trivialeren
	dative	dem trivialeren	der trivialeren	dem trivialeren	den trivialeren
	accusative	den trivialeren	die trivialere	das trivialere	die trivialeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein trivialerer	eine trivialere	ein trivialeres	(keine) trivialeren
	genitive	eines trivialeren	einer trivialeren	eines trivialeren	(keiner) trivialeren
	dative	einem trivialeren	einer trivialeren	einem trivialeren	(keinen) trivialeren
	accusative	einen trivialeren	eine trivialere	ein trivialeres	(keine) trivialeren

Superlative forms of trivial

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am trivialsten	sie ist am trivialsten	es ist am trivialsten	sie sind am trivialsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	trivialster	trivialste	trivialstes	trivialste
	genitive	trivialsten	trivialster	trivialsten	trivialster
	dative	trivialstem	trivialster	trivialstem	trivialsten
	accusative	trivialsten	trivialste	trivialstes	trivialste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der trivialste	die trivialste	das trivialste	die trivialsten
	genitive	des trivialsten	der trivialsten	des trivialsten	der trivialsten
	dative	dem trivialsten	der trivialsten	dem trivialsten	den trivialsten
	accusative	den trivialsten	die trivialste	das trivialste	die trivialsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein trivialster	eine trivialste	ein trivialstes	(keine) trivialsten
	genitive	eines trivialsten	einer trivialsten	eines trivialsten	(keiner) trivialsten
	dative	einem trivialsten	einer trivialsten	einem trivialsten	(keinen) trivialsten
	accusative	einen trivialsten	eine trivialste	ein trivialstes	(keine) trivialsten

Related terms

• trivialisieren
• Trivialität

Further reading

• “trivial” in Duden online
• “trivial” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Piedmontese

Adjective

trivial

1. trivial

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /tɾi.viˈaw/ [tɾi.vɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /tɾiˈvjaw/ [tɾiˈvjaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɾiˈvjal/ [tɾiˈvjaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɾiˈvjal/ [tɾiˈvjaɫ]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɾiˈbjal/ [tɾiˈβjaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɾiˈvja.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: tri‧vi‧al

Adjective

trivial m or f (plural triviais)

1. trivial

Derived terms

• trivialidade
• trivializar
• trivialmente

Noun

trivial m (plural triviais)

1. (informal) a simple everyday meal

Further reading

• “trivial” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French trivial.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tri.viˈal/

Adjective

trivial m or n (feminine singular trivială, masculine plural triviali, feminine and neuter plural triviale)

1. common, ordinary

   Synonyms: de rând, comun, obișnuit, ordinar

2. obscene, indecent

   Synonyms: obscen, indecent

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	trivial		trivială		triviali	triviale
	definite	trivialul		triviala		trivialii	trivialele
genitive- dative	indefinite	trivial		triviale		triviali	triviale
	definite	trivialului		trivialei		trivialilor	trivialelor

Derived terms

• trivialitate
• trivializa
• netrivial

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾiˈbjal/ [t̪ɾiˈβ̞jal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: tri‧vial

Adjective

trivial m or f (masculine and feminine plural triviales)

1. trivial

   Synonym: insignificante

Derived terms

• trivialidad
• trivializar
• trivialmente

 

Further reading

• “trivial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Adjective

trivial (comparative trivialare, superlative trivialast)

1. trivial

Declension

Inflection of trivial

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	trivial	trivialare	trivialast
neuter singular	trivialt	trivialare	trivialast
plural	triviala	trivialare	trivialast
masculine plural2	triviale	trivialare	trivialast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	triviale	trivialare	trivialaste
all	triviala	trivialare	trivialaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Derived terms

• trivialnamn (“common name”)

References

• trivial in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• trivial in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• trivial in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)