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View synonyms for

petty

1

[ pet-ee ]

adjective

pettier, pettiest.
  1. of little or no importance or consequence:

    petty grievances.

    Synonyms: , , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor:

    petty considerations.

  3. having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.:

    petty minds.

    Synonyms:

  4. mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things:

    a petty person.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms:

  5. showing or caused by meanness of spirit:

    a petty revenge.

  6. of secondary rank, especially in relation to others of the same class or kind:

    petty states; a petty tyrant.



Petty

2

[ pet-ee ]

noun

  1. Richard, born 1937, U.S. racing-car driver.
  2. William, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, 1st Marquis of Lansdowne. William Petty Fitzmaurice Lansdowne.

petty

/ ˈɛɪ /

adjective

  1. trivial; trifling; inessential

    petty details

  2. of a narrow-minded, mean, or small-natured disposition or character

    petty spite

  3. minor or subordinate in rank

    petty officialdom

  4. law of lesser importance
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٳپ, adverb
  • ˈٳپԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ·پ· adverb
  • ·پ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of petty1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English peti(t) “small, minor,” from Old French petit, from unattested Gallo-Romance 辱ٳīٳٳܲ, of expressive origin
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Word History and Origins

Origin of petty1

C14: from Old French petit
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Synonym Study

Petty, paltry, trifling, trivial apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. Petty implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. Paltry is applied to something that is beneath one's notice, even despicable: a paltry amount. Something that is trifling is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is trivial is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He grew up to see how politics was at once powerful and petty, like when he took a job editing government documentaries of Lyndon Johnson and was ordered to never show the president’s bald spot.

From

Ortega pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of petty theft in 2023.

From

When Rickey and Glenn learn to let go of petty squabbles and stop using their physical distance as an excuse to refute their connection, “Sacramento” hits a lovely final note.

From

For Trump, the supposedly political is always personal, and it’s more than reasonable to connect his well-known loathing for the European Union to a narrative of petty private grievance.

From

Still, even this glossy set of petty tyrants can recognize a creep and a phony in their ranks, sussing which one of their ilk is showing off their veneers for a half-second too long.

From

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pettlepetty bourgeois