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. )

Example Sentences

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

But in their darkest hour, when the most odious contestant seems inevitable, the Cady of the conclave asserts his presence to chastise his fellow cardinals for their pettiness.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2024

MedMen was so afraid of me and the pettiness and my vitriol that they overnighted us a check.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2024

The sheer pettiness of these gripes—the fact that these men continue to filter justice through their small, round, grudge-colored glasses—is what is breathtaking here.

From Slate • May 17, 2024

It rises inside me, unabated by the dim pettiness of university politics or mind-numbing everyday rules.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older