petty

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.

His mother, Valborg, who had emigrated from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, worked as a domestic; his father, Walter, who had emigrated from St. Croix, was a petty officer in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Drake turns the frigid, isolated mansion rap that’s become his trademark toward relitigating the last half-decade of petty squabbles and minor slights.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

"There was still humour, good food, movies, school, petty fights, and romance. To suggest otherwise is to reduce a culture to its trauma," she said.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

OpenAI counters that Musk, who is now also an AI player with xAI, is motivated by petty revenge, having failed to seize majority control.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

He stood there in his petty officer’s uniform, tall and almost shockingly broad-shouldered and thin-hipped, his cap pushed slightly back, the sun lighting on the patch of reddish hair that showed.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson