51Թ

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View synonyms for

petty

1

[ pet-ee ]

adjective

pettier, pettiest.
  1. of little or no importance or consequence:

    petty grievances.

    Synonyms: , , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor:

    petty considerations.

  3. having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.:

    petty minds.

    Synonyms:

  4. mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things:

    a petty person.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms:

  5. showing or caused by meanness of spirit:

    a petty revenge.

  6. of secondary rank, especially in relation to others of the same class or kind:

    petty states; a petty tyrant.



Petty

2

[ pet-ee ]

noun

  1. Richard, born 1937, U.S. racing-car driver.
  2. William, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, 1st Marquis of Lansdowne. William Petty Fitzmaurice Lansdowne.

petty

/ ˈɛɪ /

adjective

  1. trivial; trifling; inessential

    petty details

  2. of a narrow-minded, mean, or small-natured disposition or character

    petty spite

  3. minor or subordinate in rank

    petty officialdom

  4. law of lesser importance
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٳپ, adverb
  • ˈٳپԱ, noun
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • ·پ· adverb
  • ·پ·Ա noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of petty1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English peti(t) “small, minor,” from Old French petit, from unattested Gallo-Romance 辱ٳīٳٳܲ, of expressive origin
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of petty1

C14: from Old French petit
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Synonym Study

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. Something that is trifling is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is trivial is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Still, even this glossy set of petty tyrants can recognize a creep and a phony in their ranks, sussing which one of their ilk is showing off their veneers for a half-second too long.

From

They further say that rules violations the D.A. has referenced are petty and were made over the course of decades in prison.

From

The point is that, for reasons petty or otherwise, you have come to the conclusion that you cannot stand someone; you think that they make life a little bit worse.

From

It's polluting other people's field of vision just to make their day worse, in a petty display of dominance.

From

He told how his father, a police chief in small-town Iowa, was fired because he stood up to the local good-old-boy network, refusing, on principle, to brook their petty tyrannies.

From

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