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

Tribal feuds are common in Iraq, a war-scarred country awash with weapons where petty rows can turn into deadly clashes.

Read more on Barron's

These obligations have swollen beyond petty annoyance into their own distinct sphere of activity, neither work nor not-work.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A senior chief petty officer named Angel Torres remembered, “All of the sudden, this big cloud engulfs us. It wasn’t white smoke. It was like something I’d never seen before.”

Read more on Literature

Radical political zealots are ruling higher education like petty tyrants.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

According to French media, his profile – and that of the other main suspect Ayed G – suggests they might have been petty criminals possibly in the pay of a wealthy third party.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• frivolous 
• lesser 
• minor 
• narrow-minded