petty
97
3.9
- adjective
- /ˈpɛti/
:
mezquino
- After this incident, we were full of petty hatred for two or three years.
- petty rivalries
- petty jealousies
- petty bickering
And you're right, they just look like mean, petty, angry idiots.
- And you're right, they just look like mean, petty, angry idiots.
- So this now y'all think I'm petty and I am right?
- When are you being petty and when are you having a standard?
- That's just so petty and just I'm sorry, that's not OK.
- My husband says that while I was a bit petty, no she wasn't.
- She is petty and women wish they were petty.
- Told you and I'm petty enough to do that so I will.
- A good friend will understand it, a clueless or a petty friend won't.
- This annoyed me a little, so when she brought the drink back I got my petty revenge...
- It makes me sound petty, but I think all show people are the same.
- It, it, it, it's petty and irrational.
- No, I mean, I'm like a petty, self-centered, you know, angry man.
- But my favorite story about my father was how petty he was.
- And they may frame you then as being someone who is mean spirited or petty or gossipy.
Examples
-
Many Americans, and particularly members of Congress, viewed this as petty and mean-spirited.
Academic text (1995) -
My mission here is not to solve your petty squabbles.
-
There was something so petty about her that I decided not to let her have it.
Fiction book (1996) -
It's so petty, like it's ridiculous.
-
That sounds a little petty or like resentful.
-
The faculty reaction to his pending visit can only be described as petty and infantile.
Academic text (1991) -
A good friend will understand it, a clueless or a petty friend won't.
-
Let's not waste time on petty arguments; we have more important issues to discuss.
-
Her focus on the petty details prevented the team from making real progress.
-
It's frustrating how he always brings up such petty grievances during meetings.
Synonyms
17
6.5
Not willing to accept new ideas and quick to judge others
2
9.7
Too small and poor in quality to deserve respect
1
9.9
Small and not important
Giving too much attention to small, unimportant details
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
10
4.8
A sailor with a middle rank in the Navy or Coast Guard who leads other sailors
- Formal
3
6.9
Taking something worth less than a set amount, for example a small item from a shop
- Specialized
1
8.7
A social class of small shop and business owners and lower level professionals
- South African
Keeping people of different races apart in everyday public places like hotels and trains
- Formal
A group of twelve people who decide the facts and verdict in a criminal or civil trial
- Specialized
A woody plant from southeastern North America to Mexico with strong-smelling roots and clusters of small flowers
- Specialized
A high-ranking sailor in the US Navy or Coast Guard who leads and trains other sailors
How Small-Minded
Surface Forms
Etymology
Petty comes from an old French word petit meaning 'small', just like English petite. That idea of 'small' was later used about people, so petty can mean 'small-minded' or mean about unimportant things.