petty

¹

[pet-ee]

adjective

pettier, pettiest 

1. of little or no importance or consequence.

   petty grievances.

   Synonyms: slight, inconsiderable, negligible, nugatory
   Antonyms: important

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

   petty considerations.

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

   petty minds.

   Synonyms: small

4. mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things.

   a petty person.

   Synonyms: miserly, stingy
   Antonyms: generous

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

/ ˈpɛtɪ /

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

Other Word Forms

• pettily adverb
• pettiness noun

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 pittīttus, of expressive origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of petty¹

C14: from Old French _petit

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.

Example Sentences

‘I don’t wish to be petty’: My mom, 94, is leaving her $1 million estate to me, my brother and his daughter.

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‘I don’t wish to be petty’: My mom, 94, is leaving her $1 million estate to me, my brother and his daughter.

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There were also tensions and petty jealousies between different sets of increasingly overwhelmed foster parents and with Sothea, who controlled the project’s purse strings.

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In both songs, Swift is unapologetically petty, offering her foes a metaphorical bouquet of flowers thick with thorns.

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“Our staff keeps petty cash in case one of our clients needs an Uber or a hotel night or bus fare to get back home. The court doesn’t provide that.”

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Related Words

• frivolous 
• lesser 
• minor 
• narrow-minded