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
-
The Emmys’ producers passing up on even the slightest possibility of a Werner Herzog acceptance speech is sheer lunacy.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
20 June 2026 -
The team has improved so much that its 1-1 draw against powerhouse Brazil was a slight disappointment.—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, Defendants appear to be actively undermining the restoration of the Kennedy Center’s name, in a petty act of defiance.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
20 June 2026
-
The two deaths join a long list of other instances of Black Americans dying in interactions with police after accusations of petty criminal offenses.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
The tiny female hippo is already drawing comparisons to the beloved Moo Deng, the Thai baby pygmy hippo who became a global sensation in 2024.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
-
Hopefully, this will help determine whether they’re sparked by an eruption from a single neutron star, or when two of these tiny but massive bodies collide.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
The visual changes are relatively minute.—
Florence Ion,
PC Magazine,
16 June 2026
-
In a sea of important tourbillons at Watches and Wonders this year, minute repeaters and striking watches made a musical statement of their own.—
Carol Besler,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
In less trifling hands, there’s no telling what these tools could do, are doing now.—
CHRIS COLIN,
Wired News,
18 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
That should represent a non-trivial upgrade from Verizon’s cheapest current unlimited-data subscription, the Unlimited Welcome option introduced in August 2023.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
16 June 2026
-
Yet a quiet bohemia remains alive in his work—an insistence that much can exist within a passing, seemingly trivial moment.—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
There, officers found the little girl with severe, life-threatening injuries.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
-
Contrary to popular belief, the central bank has little influence over home loan rates.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
-
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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Cite this Entry
“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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