Question

trivial adjective Trivial comes from a Latin word meaning "crossroads"—that is, where three roads come together. Since a crossroads is a very public place where all kinds of people might show up, trivialis came to mean "commonplace" or "vulgar." Today, the English word has changed slightly in meaning and instead usually describes something barely worth mentioning. Extending that meaning to the related noun might sound unnecessarily harsh for a word we associate with pub quizzes, but the original notion behind trivia was that whatever qualified wasn't something you should worry about not knowing. Before it became the name of a board game, trivial pursuit referred to something in which one takes an interest but that is ultimately inconsequential. 1 a : of little worth or importanceb : relating to or being the mathematically simplest case; specifically : characterized by having all variables equal to zero2 : commonplace, ordinary3 : of, relating to, or constituting a species and especially a biological species

Accepted Answer

May 5, 2019 TRIV-ee-ul "A paper published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology examined how pettiness—being intentionally attentive to trivial details—affects relationships and the way people perceive one another." — Jamie Ducharme, Time, 6 Aug. 2018"From the very first episode, when they tried to score Lil Wayne tickets, Abbi and Ilana were each other's biggest fans…. With them, no topic was ever taboo or too trivial, and being friends meant there were zero boundaries." — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2019

Word	trivial
Date	May 5, 2019
Type	adjective
Syllables	TRIV-ee-ul
Etymology	Trivial comes from a Latin word meaning "crossroads"—that is, where three roads come together. Since a crossroads is a very public place where all kinds of people might show up, trivialis came to mean "commonplace" or "vulgar." Today, the English word has changed slightly in meaning and instead usually describes something barely worth mentioning. Extending that meaning to the related noun might sound unnecessarily harsh for a word we associate with pub quizzes, but the original notion behind trivia was that whatever qualified wasn't something you should worry about not knowing. Before it became the name of a board game, trivial pursuit referred to something in which one takes an interest but that is ultimately inconsequential.
Examples	"A paper published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology examined how pettiness—being intentionally attentive to trivial details—affects relationships and the way people perceive one another." — Jamie Ducharme, Time, 6 Aug. 2018 "From the very first episode, when they tried to score Lil Wayne tickets, Abbi and Ilana were each other's biggest fans…. With them, no topic was ever taboo or too trivial, and being friends meant there were zero boundaries." — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2019
Definition	1 a : of little worth or importance b : relating to or being the mathematically simplest case; specifically : characterized by having all variables equal to zero 2 : commonplace, ordinary 3 : of, relating to, or constituting a species and especially a biological species

Trivial Word Meaning People Today Worth Relating Species