pettily
- adverb
- /ˈpɛtɪli/
:
de manera mezquina
- He always argues pettily over trivial matters.
Examples
-
He pettily insisted on following every minor rule, even when it inconvenienced others.
-
Sarah pettily complained about her colleague's small mistakes, rather than focusing on the bigger issues.
-
They argued pettily over who would sit near the window during the meeting.
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She reacted pettily to the criticism.
-
She made pettily critical comments about her colleague's project.
-
Instead of congratulating him, she answered pettily about his success.
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He always argues pettily over small details instead of focusing on the bigger picture.
Synonyms
4
6.4
In a way that shows anger or dislike
2
7.0
To do something to hurt or upset someone on purpose
2
5.1
In an unpleasant, angry, or mean way
2
8.1
In a childish, annoyed way that shows impatience
1
7.6
In a short angry way that shows you are annoyed
1
7.0
In a cruel way that shows unkind feelings and hurts others
1
8.1
In an annoyed, grumpy way
1
7.5
By being quiet and not joining others to show someone is annoyed
1
8.9
Says things in a mean, slightly cruel way to hurt someone
In a mean way that tries to hurt someone
In a mean, unkind way that aims to hurt someone
In a rude, mean way that makes others uncomfortable
In a short, sharp way that shows annoyance
In a childish bad-tempered way about small things
In an easily annoyed way
In a way that shows someone is upset by pushing the lips forward
To act in a childish way
Antonyms
How Petty
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Pettily comes from the old French word petit, which means 'small' and is the same root behind English petite. So to act pettily is to worry about 'small' or unimportant things in a mean way, which is why it means behaving in a petty or spiteful manner.