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- Dictionarypet·ty/ˈpedē/
adjective
- 1. of little importance; trivial: "both groups are known to fight over petty issues" Similar Opposite
- 2. of secondary or lesser importance, rank, or scale; minor: "a petty official"
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not important and not worth giving attention to: Prisoners complain that they are subjected to too many petty rules and restrictions. [ after noun ] complaining too much about things that are not important: Don't be so petty!
The meaning of PETTY is having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate. How to use petty in a sentence.
of little or no importance or consequence: petty grievances. Synonyms: slight, inconsiderable, negligible, nugatory. Antonyms: important. of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor: petty considerations. having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.: petty minds. Synonyms: small.
petty, paltry, trifling, trivial apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. petty implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. paltry is applied to something that is beneath one’s notice, even despicable: a paltry amount.
Petty used to mean just "petite" or "small," but now it's used for things that are trivial and shouldn’t matter much. If you host world leaders and spend more time picking napkins than memorizing names, you're focused on petty things.
Definition of petty adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
PETTY definition: 1. unimportant or not serious: 2. complaining too much about unimportant things: . Learn more.
Having or showing a tendency to make much of small matters. Webster's New World. Small-minded; mean, narrow, ungenerous, etc. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. Relatively low in rank; subordinate. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. Synonyms: subaltern. secondary. lowly. lower-ranking. junior-grade. piffling. fiddling. footling.
If you describe someone's behavior as petty, you mean that they care too much about small, unimportant things and perhaps that they are unnecessarily unkind.
4 days ago · Of persons or their behaviour: marked by or reflective of undesirably limited interests, sympathies, or views; begrudging, selfish, small-minded; also, preoccupied with subjects having little or no importance and not mindful of broader concerns. [from 16th c.] Synonyms: grudgeful, grudging. Antonym: broad-minded.
