petty

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adjective pet·ty \ ˈpe-tē \

Definition of petty

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

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pettily

play \ˈpe-tə-lē\ adverb

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pettiness

play \ˈpe-tē-nəs\ noun

See petty defined for English-language learners

See petty defined for kids

Examples of petty in a Sentence

a petty argument about grammar
My behavior was petty and stupid. I apologize.

Recent Examples of petty from the Web

The town still has pockets of intergenerational poverty, drug addiction, and petty crime; it is considered the most deprived town in southeast England, the richest region of Britain.

— simon montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, "After Thatcher, New Labour, and austerity, has Britain decided to turn left again?," 16 Aug. 2017
After that, the two rivals decided to see who could be the most petty and passive aggressive about the situation.

— khadrice rollins, SI.com, "Yankees, Mets Take Shots At Each Other Over Missed Trade Opportunities," 11 Aug. 2017
Outside of Trump ignoring political protocol again, the last two are petty, even superficial falsehoods.

— sean mesidor, Essence.com, "Donald Trump Lies About A Lot Of Things, But This One Went Too Far," 4 Aug. 2017
Frustrated and angry, the White House fought back, threatening retaliation both petty and portentous, eyeing federal jobs and programs in the state of the rebellious lawmaker to force obedience.

— author: carl hulse, Alaska Dispatch News, "Analysis: Hardball with senators is a risky game for new presidents," 1 Aug. 2017
And whomever submitted the request made Castroneves look petty and small.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "The strange, distracting game being played between Helio Castroneves, Team Penske," 15 July 2017
Its neighboring hillock of garlicky mashed potatoes, laced with the meat’s braising liquid, dwarfed the meat, but that’s a petty quibble with one of Skillets’ tastiest dishes.

— andrew marton, star-telegram, "Skillets Kitchen & Sports Bar gets a handle on healthier food," 5 July 2017
Blissfully unaware of any of this, at least at first, is young master Parker, who is jonesing for his Avengers experience and trying to be content stopping petty-ante crime in his striving Queens neighborhood.

— kenneth turan, latimes.com, "‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ trips on the teen angst, but Michael Keaton’s Vulture soars," 5 July 2017
Computer experts say there are nearly 4,000 hacking sites on the web allowing any petty criminal to learn how to become an accomplished hacker from the comfort of a coffee shop.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: No rest from cybercriminals," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of petty

Middle English pety small, minor, alteration of petit

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First Known Use: 14th century

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petty Synonyms

Petty

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biographical name Pet·ty \ ˈpe-tē \

Definition of Petty

Sir William 1623–1687 English political economist

PETTY Defined for English Language Learners

petty

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adjective

Definition of petty for English Language Learners

: not very important or serious
: relating to things that are not very important or serious
: committing crimes that are not very serious

PETTY Defined for Kids

petty

play

adjective pet·ty \ ˈpe-tē \

Definition of petty for Students

pettier; pettiest

1 :small and of no importance

Don't worry about the petty details.

2 :showing or having a mean narrow-minded attitude

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pettiness

\ˈpe-tē-nəs\ noun

Law Dictionary

petty

play

adjective pet·ty \ ˈpe-tē \

legal Definition of petty

:relatively minor in degree

a petty offense punishable by not more than six months in prison

— compare grand

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Definition of petty for English Language Learners

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