as in slight
old-fashioned
worrying too much about details that are minor or not important
pettifogging lawyers
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogging
Adjective
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Saturday will be mostly dry but there is a slight chance for showers.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
2 May 2026 -
In 2022, his rookie season ended early because of a slight stress fracture in his right ankle.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Middle school is, famously, a time of petty cruelty and small-scale social Darwinism.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Detractors consider this format both mind-numbing and salacious, engineered for immediate gratification and often focused on cast members’ petty personal grievances and rock-bottom moments.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
What last Friday’s 5-0 win away to Sunderland might have done for Pereira is give him just a tiny bit more freedom; the opportunity to go slightly stronger with his team selections in these two games against Villa, either side of a still-vital trip to Chelsea on Monday.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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The technique used to measure the singularities’ velocity could open the door to studying other tiny, fast phenomena in physics, chemistry and biology—or perhaps to find new ways to encode quantum information in materials, according to the researchers.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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What to read next Adaptive optics describes how telescope mirrors can make minute changes in their shape to counteract the twinkling of stars by the atmosphere.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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Compared with their tourbillons and minute repeaters, a seconds-counting hand is peasant fare.—
Adam Erace,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 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
Adjective
-
No competition was too trivial.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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The third day of the NFL Draft can feel a bit trivial.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Rust spores overwinter in leaf debris and infect new foliage in spring with as little as two to four hours of moisture.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
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But certain elements of the package, such as a proposal to expand mayoral authority, received little direct attention during Thursday’s public comment.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
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Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Patricia Cohen,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2020
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“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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