petty

adjective

ˈpe-tē How to pronounce petty (audio)
Definition of pettynext
1
as in small
not broad or open in views or opinions a petty little town that was not ethnically diverse and very happy about the situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention obsessed over even petty problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of petty Not to victim-blame, but that’s an awfully bold lip for someone who’s trying to avoid the ire of the famously jealous and petty Evil Queen. — Emma Specter, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025 As with any large city, petty crime, like pickpocketing, occurs frequently, so be aware of your surroundings, especially in crowded markets and on public transportation. — Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 21 Mar. 2025 The film tells the true story of the power struggle between notorious crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, two New York mobsters once the best of friends before petty jealousies put them on a deadly collision course. — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025 For public safety, Perkins said, he's been speaking with local officials and studying data, including about how petty crimes can turn into larger ones. — Annalise Frank, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for petty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty
  1. small
  2. nominal
  3. parochial
  4. slight
  5. narrow
  6. trivial
  7. little
  8. trifling
Adjective
  • The satin finish dress featured a mock neckline with a small cutout and included cap sleeves.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2025
  • With any luck, a little digestive distress will be just a small trade-off for getting past your illness and feeling like yourself again.
    — Beth Krietsch, SELF, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of small
Adjective
  • Some combination of bad staff work and bad judgment on her part led Whitmer to be used as a political prop who lent some nominal bipartisanship to an episode that Democrats would very much like Trump to have sole ownership of.
    — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Cage’s most famous composition—a piece where any performer exists in any space for four minutes and 33 seconds—is performed in nominal silence.
    — Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2025
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • The plum political prize, of course, will be deciding how congressional districts are drawn, perhaps giving this parochial court a major say in which party—and its preferred Speaker—gets to run the U.S. House.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
  • There is nothing more parochial or bland than being a soft, white Anglican kid from Ottawa.
    — Graydon Carter, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of parochial
Adjective
  • The rear camera's OIS yields mostly smooth video, but there's some slight bumpiness here and there.
    — PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Dawn came on chilly with a slight overcast and a light breeze.
    — Jeffrey A. Brunk, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • The narrow five-game spread between the top and bottom performers illustrates the relative consistency in baseline predictive ability.
    — Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • This would seemingly narrow season 4's destinations down to... Will There Be a Season 4 of The White Lotus?
    — Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of narrow
Adjective
  • This trivial annoyance reminded me of several things.
    — Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 22 Mar. 2025
  • From trivial to tragic There have been previous Facebook defectors, but none as high-ranking as Wynn-Williams.
    — Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of trivial
Adjective
  • For starters, the clear formula comes in a cute little bottle that looks more like a serum than tanning drops.
    — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Gone are most of the toggle switches (and the little safety protrusions that accompanied them) on the dashboard, with the exception of one for changing between drive, reverse, and neutral, plus another to switch between drive modes.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of little
Adjective
  • With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2010
  • And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
Definition of trifling

Browse Nearby Words

pettishness
petty
petty cash
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petty. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on petty

Nglish: Translation of petty for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See More

Popular

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name that thing flower edition
Name That Flower Can you tell the difference between a lilac and a...
See All