pettifogging

adjective

Definition of pettifoggingnext
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
  1. slight
  2. petty
  3. tiny
  4. minute
  5. trifling
  6. trivial
  7. little
  8. piddling
Adjective
  • Shares slid 2% after the regional bank reported a slight earnings miss in its second-quarter financial report.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • One minor point over that version is that on the Switch, there is a slight pause when spoken audio or video is loaded in.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • The Greek myths are rife with petty and meddlesome deities squabbling, playing favorites, punishing harshly, and otherwise wreaking havoc on the lives of mortal men.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • In each social-commentary-teetering-on-horror episode, Nanno is a pupil at a different school, picture perfect and scanning the room for whatever secrets — an abusive teacher, an absurd hierarchical system, petty jealousy — demand to be revealed.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • This allows the hybrid system to operate continuously for days or even weeks with a tiny power system.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 July 2026
  • That gives the three imminent data centers in Miami-Dade a tinier footprint than the headline makers elsewhere in the state, said Margaret Cook, vice president of water and community resilience at the Houston Advanced Research Center.
    — Alexandra Phelps, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • There are so many models out there from so many manufacturers, with minute differences between them.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026
  • Photos and videos of the interior reveal buccaneer style down to the most minute details, like octopus tentacle door handles.
    — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 24 June 2026
Definition of minute
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
Definition of trifling
Adjective
  • The poet begins to lose faith in his subject—why write about such a trivial matter as Europe descends into war?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • An industry-wide standard Microsoft invented to protect Windows, and later Linux, devices from firmware infections has been trivial to bypass for 13 of its 14 years of existence.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026
Definition of trivial
Adjective
  • The latest appearance will do little to quell criticism of Infantino, who is standing currently unopposed for re-election as FIFA president.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • At a press conference with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, government officials said that the fire had started unusually close to the community in Collins, leaving little time to respond.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Definition of little
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
Definition of piddling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pettifoggers
pettifogging
pettiness
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Cite this Entry

“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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