PETTY Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

petty

adjective

ˈpe-tē

Definition of petty

as in small

not broad or open in views or opinions a petty little town that was not ethnically diverse and very happy about the situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nominal

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention obsessed over even petty problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of petty Referees are hard-wired to be neutral, only see the colours of players’ kits and should not be barred from officiating certain clubs or countries because of petty rivalries or historical conflicts. — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 8 July 2026 There's also a set that includes the chef's knife as well as a smaller petty knife with a similar design; the latter is great for slicing smaller fruits and vegetables, and for trimming meat. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 July 2026 The killing has drawn comparisons to other instances of other Black people who lost their life in cases of accusations of petty criminal offenses, such as the murder of George Floyd. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 As long as there have been people, there have been petty complaints about people. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for petty

Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty

Adjective

The division charged with keeping a handle on parasitic diseases had already been small, with only a few employees designated to parasite work.

— Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
When states lose the authority to set their own food safety and agricultural standards, consumers and small farmers pay the price.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

Current bond yields, which tend to track nominal GDP trends, are still reflecting the rise in inflation that occurred during Covid.

— Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 20 July 2026
The walls had a nominal utility as fences for the dairy herd that was milked in the great white cow barn, but this was only ever a Gilded Age fantasy of the rustic idyll.

— Matt Seaton, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026

Definition of nominal

Adjective

From a parochial point of view, former Bruin goalie Joonas Korpisalo is now a Blueshirt after being dealt to Broadway on July 1.

— Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 15 July 2026
Many children in Florida attending private, parochial or homeschool programs do not take the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, or FAST, test, which is used by Florida’s public school districts to measure students’ achievement.

— Kendall Deas, The Conversation, 6 July 2026

Definition of parochial

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

That ought to be advantageous for the Spaniard, who seemed too often to run aground when trapped inside in a more narrow system.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 21 July 2026
But the school board is the most notable exception, where Republicans cling to a narrow 4-3 majority after years of bruising elections.

— Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of narrow

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

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