pettier; pettiest
1
: having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate
2
: having little or no importance or significance
3
: marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies : small-minded
Synonyms
Examples of petty in a Sentence
a petty argument about grammar
My behavior was petty and stupid. I apologize.
Recent Examples on the Web
The charges—assault, classified as a petty misdemeanor, and interference with communication, a misdemeanor—will be dismissed provided that Jones completes the anger management classes and adheres to the law over the next 90 days.
—
Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Yet everything remains the same for Delia whose romantic fantasies have given way to an embrace of her roles as dutiful wife and loving mother despite the sneering condescension and outright physical abuse at the hands of her strutting petty tyrant husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea).
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024
Don’t mince words or waste time arguing over petty differences.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2024
Three decades on, recollections of the drunken antics and petty feuds that marked the Britpop scene may have faded, but the era’s style iconography—and of course the music—remains.
—Naomi Rougeau, Robb Report, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for petty 
Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Yet everything remains the same for Delia whose romantic fantasies have given way to an embrace of her roles as dutiful wife and loving mother despite the sneering condescension and outright physical abuse at the hands of her strutting petty tyrant husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea).
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024
Don’t mince words or waste time arguing over petty differences.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2024
Three decades on, recollections of the drunken antics and petty feuds that marked the Britpop scene may have faded, but the era’s style iconography—and of course the music—remains.
—Naomi Rougeau, Robb Report, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for petty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near petty
Cite this Entry
“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petty. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
petty
adjective
pet·ty
ˈpet-ē 
pettier; pettiest
1
: lesser in rank or importance : minor
a petty prince
2
: having little or no importance or meaning
petty details
3
: having or displaying a mean narrow-minded attitude : small-minded
Etymology
Middle English pety "small, minor," an altered form of petit (same meaning), from early French petit "small"
Legal Definition
Biographical Definition
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