paltry

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Prisoners were allowed to slowly build up the paltry offerings of its libraries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

"It's a paltry sum when you think about the number of households on heating oil," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Such a paltry move, in the wake of a surprisingly strong U.S. monthly jobs report that hammered bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts, suggests a market that continues to search for direction.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

In the lower Colorado River region, which contributes minimal runoff to the river, the snowpack is now a paltry 32% of average for this time of year.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

How strange and paltry it seemed at the time, and now, looking back, what an abundance of good protein had been sacrificed in our honor.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver