pettiness

American  

[pet-ee-nis] / ˈpɛt i nɪs /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being of little, lesser, or no importance, consequence, or merit; insignificance.

   The economic cost of these wildfires pales into pettiness when compared to the real victims—the wildlife and the natural landscape.

   The film is a comedy about the boredom, pettiness, and general strangeness of working in an office, as the protagonists spend their days plotting a way out of their dull and meaningless jobs.

2. the quality or condition of having or expressing limited ideas, interests, etc.; narrow-mindedness.

   The novel is set against a background of small-town deceit and pettiness.

3. the quality or condition of being unkind, stingy, or ungenerous, especially in small or trifling things; meanspiritedness.

   Their pettiness is perhaps best demonstrated by the threatened removal of an assortment of services provided to residents—things like fresh fruit, free coffee, and a monthly outing.

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Etymology

Origin of pettiness

petty ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Explanation

Pettiness is the quality of being completely unimportant. The pettiness of an airplane passenger's complaint that there’s a smudge on the window is likely to cause the flight attendants to pay no attention to it. Pettiness — whether it's in a term paper or an argument between politicians — is a focus on issues so small and trivial that it's almost silly. Another way to use the noun pettiness is to describe the quality of a person that's also called "small-mindedness." A friend's pettiness can be hard to live with, since she focuses on trivial matters and has a tendency to seek revenge for the slightest offenses. Petty comes from the French word for "small," petit.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pettiness

Without cameras or timely released transcripts or audio, moments of pettiness, score settling, or open contempt for colleagues or parties by the justices can, and have, gone almost entirely unnoticed.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

This is a novel about pettiness, middle-class superficiality, disloyalty, prejudice and cruelty, with this coterie of rather vile friends acting as a microcosm for a society in decline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

Brooks was arrested and told officers: "It was really just pettiness on the part of people - I know I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have done Photoshop."

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2025

And yes, in a paroxysm of pettiness, he renamed Mt.

From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2025

Anyone but him, thought Lazlo, laughing a little at his own pettiness.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor