pettifog

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Johnson’s allies accuse the European Union of inflexibility in applying rules, a pettifogging lack of sensitivity to feelings in parts of Northern Ireland and vengeful hostility toward Britain for exiting the bloc.

From New York Times

Once again the question must be posed: are these pettifogging and increasingly arbitrary interventions really the future the game wants to embrace?

From The Guardian

Betrayed by globalist elites, pettifogging democrats and politically correct politicians, what attracts Westerners to authority is the image of strength and self-assertion.

From Washington Post

Despite virtual subsidies, however, eight American coal companies have gone bankrupt since Mr. Trump took office — not because of strangulation from pettifogging red tape, but because natural gas, solar and wind power are now cheaper.

From Washington Times

As soon as Trump blurted his reckless fantasy of a Wall in 2015, I knew that he would wind up parsing and pettifogging in an effort to backtrack.

From Washington Post