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
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Recent Examples of petty
The Pentagon’s position was that all of this petty haggling was moot.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Any suggestion of a cohesive, equitable tax policy in Florida has been shredded by petty partisanship, deceitful tactics and fake populism.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The government may not have hired Bobbi or urged Ghirotti to seek his petty revenge, but the men’s savagery is inseparable from that of a state sustained by atrocity.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Any suggestion of a cohesive, equitable tax policy in Florida has been shredded by petty partisanship, deceitful tactics and fake populism.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The government may not have hired Bobbi or urged Ghirotti to seek his petty revenge, but the men’s savagery is inseparable from that of a state sustained by atrocity.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty
Adjective
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Some of the district's smallest elementary schools now serve only a couple of hundred students, limiting available resources.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Higher bond yields ripple through all kinds of credit markets, making everything from mortgages to small-business loans more expensive.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Because a present that is over $100, Miss Manner assures you, is indeed meant for a wedding and not a shower, whose gifts are supposed to be more nominal.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
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In an alternative scenario, the cap would stay fixed in nominal dollar terms, in our examples at $100,000 or $70,000 sans bumps for the CPI, for 20 or 30 years, and after those intervals grow in tandem with wages.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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The school, a private parochial campus overseen by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, had 390 students in kindergarten through eighth grade in 2025, according to its website.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Most predictor sites and betting services show Knueppel with a slight lead, but with Flagg fast surging since his March 5 return from a left midfoot sprain.—
Brad Townsend,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The key is to consciously combine the shades of green, either within a color family for a calm, elevated look or with slight contrasts to create tension.—
Jana Ackermann,
Glamour,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Plus Yosh Nijman, Ekwonu’s backup and the Panthers’ swing tackle, suddenly retired earlier this month — flinging the Panthers’ offensive line plan into even narrower straits.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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As deductions narrow and dependents age out, Roth withdrawals become one of the cleanest sources of tax-free income available for the 62-to-70 age group.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But finding spare money is not a trivial task.—
Nara Parameswaran,
The Conversation,
30 Mar. 2026
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Maintaining that orchestration; keeping updates stable and synchronized; is not trivial.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Residents in the San Gabriel Valley are contending with a dramatic surge in black flies, a painful little pest known for biting around the eyes and necks of people and pets.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
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Plus, little baby leaves are thinner.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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 1 Apr. 2026.
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