Synonyms of petty

petty

adjective

ˈpe-tē 

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

• small
• parochial
• narrow
• little
• provincial
• insular
• sectarian
• narrow-minded
• stubborn
• picayune
• small-minded
• Lilliputian
• illiberal
• partisan
• rigid
• bigoted
• wrongheaded
• obstinate
• discriminatory
• reactionary
• obdurate
• intolerant
• limited
• biased
• ironbound
• dogmatic
• opinionative
• dogmatical
• prejudiced
• discriminating
• inflexible
• opinionated
• unyielding
• hidebound
• stodgy
• partial
• unsophisticated
• jaundiced
• old-fashioned
• straitlaced
• one-sided
• stuffy
• straightlaced
• set
• brassbound
• hick

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberal
• tolerant
• open
• cosmopolitan
• receptive
• catholic
• objective
• impartial
• unbiased
• unprejudiced
• nonpartisan
• broad-minded
• open-minded
• freethinking

2

as in nominal

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention

obsessed over even petty problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nominal
• slight
• trivial
• trifling
• tiny
• insignificant
• inconsequential
• piddling
• piffling
• inconsiderable
• picayune
• niggling
• negligible
• pimping
• piddly
• footling
• paltry
• measly
• minute
• Mickey Mouse
• chicken
• no-account
• peanut
• de minimis
• puny
• little
• imperceptible
• pettifogging
• inappreciable
• inferior
• small-fry
• mean
• nitpicking
• quibbling
• one-horse
• hairsplitting
• two-bit

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• important
• big
• significant
• considerable
• serious
• substantial
• material
• consequential
• outstanding
• momentous
• prominent
• conspicuous
• weighty
• remarkable
• striking
• pivotal
• noteworthy
• appreciable
• eventful
• measurable
• discernible
• discernable

Examples of petty in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mercury retrograde could further complicate matters by causing petty misunderstandings at work or disrupting your schedule overall. —Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024

The two Koreas have been engaged in petty Cold War-style psychological warfare since at least March, with the North having flown thousands of balloons toward the South, filled with wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. —Bradford Betz, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2024

The great bullies of 1956 America have been reduced to petty ones thanks to conservatives who have cried out against their excesses. —The Editors, National Review, 2 Sep. 2024

On the surface, this may seem like a petty dispute between a player and her former employers, but this case goes beyond a simple disagreement. —Iman N. Milner, refinery29.com, 29 Aug. 2024