as in slight
old-fashioned
worrying too much about details that are minor or not important
pettifogging lawyers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogging
Adjective
-
The album arrives after a slight delay, originally slated for Jan. 24 but postponed due to The Weeknd’s $1 million donation to Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Jan. 2025 -
Despite this, Ham performed his tasks well with only a slight delay during the deceleration, researchers found.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Organized theft is no petty crime; these are not one-off crimes of desperation or a mom lifting a can of formula to feed her baby.—
Cailey Locklair,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Jan. 2025
-
In November 2023, Pryer filed a motion to terminate her remaining two years of probation based on a recent court ruling which held that a defendant convicted of a single petty offense may not be sentenced to both imprisonment and probation.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
There was a tiny cell, its walls painted deep red and carved with graffiti, where prisoners who were to be executed were kept.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
-
The pup worked for 13 years helping make others smile — including countless patients at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he was named the tiniest therapy dog out of more than 100 enrolled in the hospital’s Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program.—
Luke Chinman,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Moreover, the judges noted, forbidding the use of chemicals that carry a minute risk of cancer might prompt manufacturers to use compounds that are more toxic, albeit in noncancerous ways.—
Karen Kaplan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Jan. 2025
-
Despite the passage of time, the first coordinator of the state’s investigation into the Rhoden deaths can recall minute details of the crimes without notes.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
The Enquirer,
12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Feb. 2024
-
The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
30 Oct. 2023
Adjective
-
This is where seemingly trivial activities can make a big difference.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Yes, there are negative side effects, but Shields credits her maturing body with helping to solidify her resolve, giving her a new perspective on time management and giving her the confidence to ignore trivial matters.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Given how little Cohen material has been auctioned off, the sale will be also a barometer of how much Cohen’s legend has grown since his death in 2016.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Foreign assistance has been the target of ire from Republicans in Congress and Trump administration officials, but the funding accounts for very little of the overall US budget, at about 1% of federal budget obligations.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
-
Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Patricia Cohen,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2020
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near pettifogging
Cite this Entry
“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share