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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
obsessed over even petty problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of petty
In 2021, on the heels of nationwide protests for racial justice, Colorado lawmakers enacted sweeping state-level reforms that significantly lowered the potential penalties for misdemeanor and petty offenses in Colorado’s state courts.
—
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
Most are snide and strident, petty and self-serving, and their bickersome denunciations turn monotonous in ways that suggest, at times, a less-than-generous deity in the director’s chair.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
Most of those singled out have faced petty charges, such as the accusations of mortgage fraud levied against James, Schiff, and the Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2025
In 2008, Tagawa pleaded guilty in a Honolulu court to a petty misdemeanor charge of harassing a girlfriend, who the police said had bruises on her legs at the time.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petty
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
Most are snide and strident, petty and self-serving, and their bickersome denunciations turn monotonous in ways that suggest, at times, a less-than-generous deity in the director’s chair.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
Most of those singled out have faced petty charges, such as the accusations of mortgage fraud levied against James, Schiff, and the Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2025
In 2008, Tagawa pleaded guilty in a Honolulu court to a petty misdemeanor charge of harassing a girlfriend, who the police said had bruises on her legs at the time.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty
Adjective
-
Dealing with competition from smaller personal computers, IBM’s business model began turning to services and software instead.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Common tactics Supporters of both parties now regularly receive urgent fundraising emails designed to draw in small-dollar donations, a significant part of how political candidates and parties pay for campaign operations and political advertising blitzes.—
Joseph Morton,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Austin Public trains those producers, who, for a nominal fee, gain access to state-of-the-art equipment, studio space and content distribution for their own work.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Academic users will be able to access the platform for a nominal fee, while biotech and pharmaceutical companies are charged an annual subscription, which gives them the right to store their data securely, as well as a relatively low per-use charge.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
18 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
This aligns with findings from empathy research, which distinguishes between parochial empathy (caring for one’s in-group) and universal empathy (concern for all people).—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Working-class voters visiting a Reform clubhouse were more likely to find young professionals discussing weighty matters of foreign policy rather than parochial issues like street paving.—
Daniel Wortel-London,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Additionally, the Patriots had a slight preference for passing in scoring territory.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Fans attending Saturday’s game between the Mavericks and Lakers will notice a slight change in protocol for entering American Airlines Center.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Starlancer was a narrower simulator in the vein of Wing Commander or X-Wing, following a linear narrative about alliances of Earth's nations battling in the void of space.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Trump has largely halted refugee admissions, with the narrow exception of White South Africans.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The person who quietly solves a critical problem looks less valuable than the one sending three status updates a day about trivial progress.—
Andy Molinsky,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
These differences are not trivial.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sunday dawned sunny and clear with blue skies and little wind, allowing the climb to go ahead.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Carbon nanotube yarns are light yet lift little.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Talk of mounting nuclear readiness towards Russia, which has more atomic weapons than any other country in the world, could overshadow more trifling domestic matters, like the Epstein scandal, for instance.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petty. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
