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

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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
  • Lee already had six permanent tattoos –– small ones easily hidden by clothing –– and thought this was a good opportunity to try out a more visible tattoo.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Hybrid solutions are currently typically used for small systems.
    — ILYA Likhov, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of small
Adjective
  • These games will be purchasable standalone on the eShop and presumably at retail, or upgraded to for a nominal fee for existing owners of the game, much like how the PS5 handles its cross-gen upgrades.
    — Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
  • For adults, the service would be available for a nominal fee.
    — Federico Guerrini, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • For the Americans working in Germany, the industry chain of command conflicted with cultural politics — Americans held parochial views about their post–World War II national superiority.
    — Armond White, National Review, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Currently the parochial vicar at St. Lucy Parish in Campbell, Rev. Pedigo formerly served as pastor at St. Julie Billiart and Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Jose.
    — Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of parochial
Adjective
  • Good Night and Good Luck, starring George Clooney, was the highest grossing show on Broadway again last week, even as its grosses took a slight dip.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2025
  • International museums in 2024 collectively experienced a slight dip in attendance that marks a return to normalcy in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, the Art Newspaper reports.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 1 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
  • Against the wall stood the narrow desk where Murata had written her early novels.
    — Elif Batuman, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of narrow
Adjective
  • The biggest reason: New York’s discovery law allows cases to be dismissed even for trivial, fixable discovery violations.
    — Jane Manning, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025
  • If anything, becoming a weird little guy, by my definition, is about rejecting the despair that leads down those kinds of regressive paths, and daring to care about something, even — and perhaps especially — if that something might seem kind of dumb or trivial to the outside world.
    — James Factora, Them., 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of trivial
Adjective
  • Governed by a growth mindset devoted to the logic of disruption, moving fast and breaking things, a flourishing structure of feeling about AI and art history has sprung up on the grounds of very little AI-and-art-history to have feelings about.
    — Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Shark Robot Vacuum/Mop Deals The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop is one smart little robot.
    — Carlos Mejia, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petty. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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