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trivial

adj.
US //ˈtɹɪviəɫ// UK //tɹˈɪvɪəl// triv·ial
  1. 1 unimportant (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    not important or not worth worrying about.

    of little value or importance; insignificant in the context of a larger discussion or problem.

    Example

    They argued over a trivial mistake that didn't really change the final result.

    Example

    The committee spent hours debating trivial details of the budget while ignoring the massive deficit in the primary accounts.
  2. 2 easy to solve (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    very easy to do or understand.

    so easy or obvious that it requires little thought to resolve.

    Example

    For an expert like him, fixing the computer was a trivial task.

    Example

    The solution to the first puzzle was trivial, but the subsequent challenges required advanced lateral thinking skills.
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  1. 3 mathematical simplicity (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Math

    describing a very simple case, like the number zero, that is always true but not very interesting.

    relating to the simplest possible case of a mathematical structure, such as a solution where all variables are zero.

    Example

    The equation has a trivial solution where x equals zero.

    Example

    While the trivial solution is mathematically valid, the researchers were interested in finding non-zero values that satisfied the theorem.

    Usage

    Often used to describe a solution that is technically correct but provides no useful information.
    • non trivial
  2. 4 biological naming (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    relating to the specific name of a plant or animal species.

    designating the specific name of a species as opposed to its broader genus.

    Example

    In the name Homo sapiens, 'sapiens' is the trivial name.

    Example

    The scientist noted that the trivial name of the specimen had been changed several times since its initial discovery in the nineteenth century.
Origin

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”).

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