# paltry

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈpɒltɹi/ · frequency rank #34,625

## Definitions
1. Trashy, trivial, of little value.
2. Of little monetary worth.
3. Despicable; contemptibly unimportant.

## Etymology
From Middle Low German paltrig (“ragged, rubbishy, worthless”), from palter, palte (“cloth, rag, shred”), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“scrap, rag, patch”). Of uncertain ultimate origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *polto- (“cloth”), see also Proto-Slavic *poltьno (“linen”).
Cognate with Low German palterig (“ragged, torn”), dialectal German palterig (“paltry”). Compare also Low German palte (“rag”), West Frisian palt (“rag”), Saterland Frisian Palte (“strip; band; tape”), dialectal German Palter (“rag”), Danish pjalt (“rag, tatter”), Swedish palta (“rag”). See also palterly and pelting.

## Easily confused with
- **party** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-party)
- **Patty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-patty)
- **parry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-parry)
- **Patsy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-patsy)
- **panty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-panty)
- **pasty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-pasty)
- **poetry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-poetry)
- **partly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-partly)
- **pastry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-pastry)
- **pantry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-pantry)
- **poultry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paltry-vs-poultry)
- **palsy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/palsy-vs-paltry)

## Common misspellings (10)
`apltry`, `palltry`, `palrty`, `paltrry`, `paltryy`, `palttry`, `paltyr`, `patlry`, `platry`, `ppaltry`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/paltry