Definitions

petty

[pet-ee] / ˈpɛt i /

ADJECTIVE

trivial, insignificant

Synonyms

STRONGEST

frivolous lesser minor narrow-minded

STRONG

base inessential inferior junior light little lower peanut scratch secondary shallow shoestring slight small subordinate trifling

WEAK

casual cheap contemptible inconsequent inconsiderable irrelevant measly negligible nickel-and-dime niggling paltry penny-ante pettifogging picayune piddling shabby small-minded two-bit unimportant

Antonyms

STRONGEST

greater major

STRONG

big enormous first-class first-rate great huge immense important large significant superior

WEAK

consequential necessary prominent useful

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.

A. It’s got everything, from the petty to the profound.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 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

Her neighbour, 71-year-old Kusum Mishra, who arrived 50 years ago, also dismissed the "petty compensation" offered, complaining that "they are uprooting us and destroying our lives."

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Her gripe with Rhonda had been petty, as most childhood resentments are.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Vocabulary lists containing petty

"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I

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I Am Malala

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