Meaning & use
trivia
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Small facts or details that are interesting but not important.
Grammar: Takes a singular verb: this trivia is fun, not are fun.
Patterns
- useless or pointless trivia
- a piece of trivia
- remember trivia about something
He remembered useless trivia about old television commercials.
She surprised everyone with a piece of trivia about the first subway line.
noununcountableinformal
A quiz game or social activity based on questions about obscure facts.
Grammar: Usually no article: play trivia, not a trivia; the game is also called a trivia night in informal American use.
Patterns
- play trivia
- trivia night
- trivia question
Our team plays trivia at the café every Thursday.
She writes trivia questions about movies and music.
Common combinations
- pop-culture trivia
- He is unbeatable at pop-culture trivia from the 1990s.
- sports trivia
- The app tests users with daily sports trivia.
- trivia night
- The bar hosts a trivia night on the first Friday of each month.
Synonyms and how they differ
- minutiae
- Minutiae is formal for tiny, precise details; trivia often suggests facts used casually or for fun.
- details
- Details is neutral and can be important; trivia are minor facts.
- facts
- Facts is general; trivia specifically means minor facts, often for quizzes.
Opposites
Word family
- trivial adjective
- Of little importance or value.
- trivially adverb
- In an unimportant way, or in mathematics with very little effort.
- trivialize verb
- To make something seem less serious or important than it is.
Commonly confused: trivia or trivial?
trivia vs trivial
Trivia is a noun for minor facts; trivial is an adjective meaning unimportant.
Practice
Choose the correct verb form: All this trivia ___ fascinating.
Choose one answer.
Modern English treats trivia as a singular mass noun, so it takes is. Were or are wrongly treat it as a Latin plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trivia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.