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petty

[pet-ee] / ˈpɛt i /


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.

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Set in a fictional trailer park in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Trailer Park Boys follows the adventures of three longtime friends and petty criminals.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Another option, something Briffault admits is petty but has been done before, is to slash the salaries of people at the agency responsible for the unlawful behavior, or even folks who worked on it.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

They also serve as executive whisperers, translating the goals and strategies from bosses on high, while also acting as buffers for those higher up the ladder, sparing executives the headaches of petty issues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Trade bible Variety called it a "lacerating portrait," while Deadline said the "damning" film had "thrashed" Musk as "petty, narcissistic, megalomaniacal, cruel."

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Not so much as a petty vandalism rap against my name.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

“If I find him annoying, that means that maybe I’m going to come in a little bit pettier than usual,” says Martin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2024

Listen, I’m sure there will be a lot of sturm und drang about what the whistleblower disclosures mean for Elon Musk’s Twitter deal, but I want to focus on something dumber and pettier: Jack Dorsey.

From The Verge ● Aug. 23, 2022

What recent appraisals haven’t settled, though, is a pettier tiff among De Palma’s fans, about the “right” way to appreciate De Palma.

From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2020

Like most reality shows, “Housewives” thrives on drama — the pettier the better.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2020

Have not most of us noted pettier ambitions and far less laudable ones in a much larger world?

From Oldfield A Kentucky Tale of the Last Century by Nancy Huston Banks

The show finds ways to expose the worst in its characters, their pettiest, most vengeful, greediest parts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

It’s elementary: Characters can do outlandish things, commit outrageous crimes, be inspired by the pettiest of motives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

Furst insisted no topic is off the table, from the pettiest accusation to the most serious charge.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2023

Apparently in the pettiest manner imaginable, judging by Monday morning’s episode of Fox & Friends.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2019

If she talked of archangels, they became insignificant—and her themes, in ordinary, were of the pettiest.

From Noughts and Crosses Stories, Studies and Sketches by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch




Vocabulary lists containing petty


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