pettiness

[ pet-ee-nis ]

/ ˈpɛt i nɪs /

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See synonyms for pettiness on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

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.

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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Origin of pettiness

petty + -ness

Words nearby pettiness

petticoat insulator, petticoat narcissus, pettifog, pettifogger, pettifogging, pettiness, petting, petting zoo, pettipants, pettish, pettiskirt

How to use pettiness in a sentence

This is hardly the greatest tragedy of Spears’ life under conservatorship, but the pettiness is telling.
Three New Britney Spears Documentaries Tell a Chilling Tale About the Bystander Effect|Judy Berman|September 28, 2021|Time
For Swift, it’s a powerful flex, a brilliant example of fan service and an exercise in high-minded pettiness, all at the same time.
Taylor Swift’s new take on ‘Fearless’ piles on the nostalgia, along with some revenge|Allison Stewart|April 12, 2021|Washington Post
I really feel, at 60 years old, I’m sort of glad I got to indulge some of the pettiness of what I’d been.
Sean Penn: Well Beyond Hollywood|Eugene Robinson|April 1, 2021|Ozy
It is a fascinating story of rivalry and even pettiness, albeit with huge stakes in the form of prizes, patents, profits, and prestige.
Decoding the CRISPR-baby stories|Katie McLean|February 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review

Rather, he dishes up a seemingly endless stream of examples of pettiness, irritation, hypocrisy and awkwardness.
Fear And Self-Loathing In Scandinavia: The Fiction Of Karl Ove Knausgaard|Ted Gioia|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pettiness could be no issue—photograph all of your children, rainbows, sunsets, and kittens.
All You Need to Be a Modern Digital Stalker Is a Smartphone|Tauriq Moosa|April 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why turn a genuine good-news story into an expression of childish pettiness?
What Is William and Harry's Problem With The Press?|Tom Sykes|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It represents instead a sorry reflection of the pettiness of current political debate in Washington.
Obama Will Lose Recess Appointment Case, but Will Other Presidents Lose Their Power?|Andrew Cohen|January 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it makes the pettiness and obstinacy on display in the U.S. over these negotiations all the more unseemly.
Fiscal Cliff Stalemate Needs Two-Party Solution|Daniel Gross|December 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We might read between the lines his noble love of mankind, his compassion for our helplessness, our mortality and pettiness.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
And on these faces, there was a certain pettiness and coldness not observable on those of the poorer women.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
But eventually some experience will reveal to them the pettiness of their estimate, and a readjustment of values is made.
The Leaven in a Great City|Lillian William Betts
Back they would come at night, and the terrible, narrow maelstrom of pettiness sucked them in.
The Butterfly House|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Under cover of their primitive Christianity I never found more pettiness.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp