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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
obsessed over even petty problems
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of petty
Over Your Dead Body knows that sustaining a harmonious union amid petty jealousies, paranoia, and personal flaws is hard; navigating a hostage situation involving desperate sickos and sociopaths is even harder; and maintaining a balance of laughs and gag-reflex tweaking is the hardest of it all.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
In a world so full of dread and awfulness, why not take a moment to read anonymous petty literary gossip on the internet?
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Such an attempt to normalize petty crime makes Vicky Osterweil’s 2020 manifesto, In Defense of Looting, look high-minded.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
For movies, weed existed in its own sort of ecosystem as a world of petty rebellion and elastic logic, where characters could spiral into genuine obstacles without necessarily becoming irredeemable people.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
In a world so full of dread and awfulness, why not take a moment to read anonymous petty literary gossip on the internet?
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Such an attempt to normalize petty crime makes Vicky Osterweil’s 2020 manifesto, In Defense of Looting, look high-minded.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
For movies, weed existed in its own sort of ecosystem as a world of petty rebellion and elastic logic, where characters could spiral into genuine obstacles without necessarily becoming irredeemable people.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty
Adjective
-
Ceija Stojka’s small paintings at the Drawing Center swarm with such harrowing incident that viewers may not spot the mystery in the bottom right corner of many of her canvases.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Pistons are small favorites on the road for Game 3.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And, in the end, none of the aforementioned might be available except for Ja Morant, who might be only a nominal upgrade, if that.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Companies provide most of the capital; Pegasus contributes a nominal share for compliance reasons and manages the investments.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Research shows the disparity between vaccination coverage in private and parochial/religious versus public schools is that private and parochial/religious schools tend to have higher rates of exemptions to vaccinations for moral and religious beliefs.—
Kar-Hai Chu,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But quietly, the third-year forward had put himself in position for a more parochial reserve reward, one that caught him unaware.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Knicks are slight favorites to win Game 4, and a win would flip things back around.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
If your car is equipped with front radar or driver‑assist features, dirt on the sensor or slight misalignment from a parking‑lot bump could also be the culprit.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But our understanding of pedantry, denoting the sticklerishness of academic specialists and grammar obsessives, is a relatively narrow one.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Of course, the narrow bench-style seat will also help shorter riders flat-foot the motorcycle perfectly.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Jones noted those were not trivial sums for working families of the era.—
Anna Alejo,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The novel swings between the trivial and the dire, and in her bleakest moments Adora leans on the Stoics for guidance, thinking, C’mon, boys, don’t fail me now!—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the correspondents’ dinner, and security has typically been focused on the ballroom and rather than the hotel at large, with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.—
Collin Binkley,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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Security has typically been focused on the ballroom — rather than the hotel at large — with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, that global temperature record that DiCaprio mentioned in his acceptance speech in 2016 seems almost trifling compared to what has happened since.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The health factor is no trifling qualifier for a player who has missed time with shoulder and oblique injuries, in addition to that unfortunate incident with his pelvic floor.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petty. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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