as in slight
old-fashioned
worrying too much about details that are minor or not important
pettifogging lawyers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogging
Adjective
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President Donald Trump has enjoyed a slight uptick in favorability, according to a series of mid-May polls compiled by political analyst and statistician Nate Silver.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025 -
Add slight tweaks to his pre-pitch charge and compression, Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins said, and Varsho now works above and down to the ball.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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As a result, defendants in Colorado’s municipal courts can face much longer sentences than those in state court for the same petty offenses, The Denver Post previously found.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
16 May 2025
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Each encounter brings four options for how to beat that opponent, a prime opportunity to make petty jokes.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
These tiny crystals form in magma and absorb trace amounts of uranium, which decays over time into lead.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
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During the war, the U.S. military printed more than a million tiny paperback books for men to carry into battle, called Armed Services Editions.—
Martha Hall Kelly,
People.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
Yeti's tiny stacking mugs come in a minute 4-ounce size, or a 6-ounce size with a handle.—
Adrienne So,
Wired News,
1 May 2025
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As such, even the most seemingly minute details within your home’s decor are actually of vital importance.—
Rowan Briggs,
Mercury News,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Frankly, the more trifling the crime, the better this franchise’s comedy aspirations would work.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 May 2010
Adjective
-
Harnessing The Power Of Data For AI The data in your organization’s repositories, even the data that seems trivial, like emails or archived contracts, has inherent value to your business.—
Jesse Todd,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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Matt steps outside his Hollywood bubble and realizes how small and trivial his problems are.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The musical features a scene about little Sarah making her joke about Jeffrey’s death and no one laughing.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
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When Carter was little, his mother always included him in her life, as Anderson told PEOPLE in 2016.—
Julie Tremaine,
People.com,
18 May 2025
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 23 May. 2025.
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