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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Additionally, the Patriots had a slight preference for passing in scoring territory.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026 -
Fans attending Saturday’s game between the Mavericks and Lakers will notice a slight change in protocol for entering American Airlines Center.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Angel went for a respectful middle-of-the-road jab — complimenting her parenting and resilience, but maligning her for being petty.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
5 Jan. 2026
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Who is not petty or vindictive.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Family says county 'stole' family home over tiny tax, taking fight to Supreme Court.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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However, heat can cause iodide to be lost from the surface, leaving behind tiny holes.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The beam is magnitudes stronger than a medical X-ray, and can rapidly identify minute traces of chemicals from ink that has been erased, said University of Wisconsin physics researcher Minhal Gardezi, part of the Hipparchus team.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
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This spectacular image of HH 80 and HH 81 and its capability to allow astronomers to study minute changes in the structure of these incredible cosmic bodies, was only possible thanks to the sensitivity and resolution of Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Talk of mounting nuclear readiness towards Russia, which has more atomic weapons than any other country in the world, could overshadow more trifling domestic matters, like the Epstein scandal, for instance.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
2 Aug. 2025
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Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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The person who quietly solves a critical problem looks less valuable than the one sending three status updates a day about trivial progress.—
Andy Molinsky,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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These differences are not trivial.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Sunday dawned sunny and clear with blue skies and little wind, allowing the climb to go ahead.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
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Carbon nanotube yarns are light yet lift little.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Jan. 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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Cite this Entry
“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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