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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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
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And whomever submitted the request made Castroneves look petty and small.
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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.
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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.
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A judge has dismissed a petty-theft charge against a state legislator from Garden City who took campaign brochures opponents had distributed to homes and stuffed them into his pocket.
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In one of her more petty feuds, the rapper took on ComicBook NOW! for a tweet comparing her music to the The Last Airbender (an insult).
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Further, the Horns247Sports story reported a number of recent arrests in Florida and Ohio by Johnson, three in March for hit-and-run, forgery, petty theft and possession of drugs.
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On the one hand, Magic's comments look unnecessarily petty.
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Michael Bush, 14, was first arrested at age 13 on Aug. 7, 2016, by the Broward Sheriff’s Office on charges of burglary, petty theft.
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
Petty
playDefinition of Petty
Sir William 1623–1687 English political economist
PETTY Defined for English Language Learners
petty
playDefinition of petty for English Language Learners
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: not very important or serious
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: relating to things that are not very important or serious
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: committing crimes that are not very serious
PETTY Defined for Kids
petty
playDefinition 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
pettiness
\ˈpe-tē-nəs\ nounLaw Dictionary
Learn More about petty
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See words that rhyme with petty Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for petty Spanish Central: Translation of petty Nglish: Translation of petty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of petty for Arabic speakers
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