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

We know this because Charles Dance recites Michelangelo’s snidest journal passages throughout, bringing a welcome pettiness to an otherwise staid chapter of art history.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

More broadly the play is a tart vivisection of human pettiness and venality, as one by one the characters’ prejudices, peccadilloes and blinkered views are exposed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 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

The movie finds its spell in the scene where Erivo dances alone, taking the pettiness being directed toward her and transforming it into strength and power.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024

I admit: I had always thought I was above this kind of typical teenage pettiness, but I felt a lump in my throat throughout lunch.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio