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
  • There were four outlandish, outcast characters, whom Goldberg utterly embodied with something as slight as the crossing of her eyes or the dragging of her leg.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
  • That total marks a slight increase in applications from the previous year, when the department reported receiving 52,529.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 July 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • Hegseth has already challenged that premise in ways both meaningful and petty, by circumventing the normal promotion process to push out officers far below him or to stall their advancements, and by firing senior officers set for even higher rank.
    — Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
  • But while Argentina was being petty and petulant, Spain was practically perfect in every way.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • Things slowly improved as drummers were encouraged at Arrowhead, but even a big turnout of 20,000 fans looked tiny in a stadium that could seat four times that number.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • Unlike a felt-tip pen, which delivers a relatively consistent line, a brush liner behaves more like a tiny paintbrush.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 24 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
  • Sheinbaum has said that little evidence has emerged to substantiate claims of cartels interfering with elections, and noted that a state-level electoral tribunal ratified Rocha’s win in Sinaloa, after examining reports of irregularities.
    — Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • Music, Fashion, Film wants little to do with 2024’s accessible dance-pop and persistent focus on branding.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 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 27 Jul. 2026.

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