pettier; pettiest
1
: having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate
2
: having little or no importance or significance
3
: marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies : small-minded
Examples of petty in a Sentence
a petty argument about grammar
My behavior was petty and stupid. I apologize.
Recent Examples on the Web
But being able to distinguish when things are challenging versus straight-up unhealthy can keep you from spiraling into petty drama and sneaky backstabbing.
—
Jenna Ryu, SELF, 3 Mar. 2025
On the page, Serafina is an archetypical Williams heroine — a woman who feels the world too deeply and is therefore brutalized by its harsh truths and petty cruelties (e.g. Maggie the Cat, Blanche DuBois, Amanda Wingfield).
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Even in cases where the elites get what’s coming to them, as was arguably the case with Czarist Russia, the consequences at a human level are often dire, and the ideals sooner or later give way to personal ambitions, petty score settling and violence for the sake of violence.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former petty crook and caterer in St. Petersburg, used his association with President Vladimir Putin to create a web of companies dabbling in all sorts of dubious activities, including information warfare.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petty
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Jenna Ryu, SELF, 3 Mar. 2025
On the page, Serafina is an archetypical Williams heroine — a woman who feels the world too deeply and is therefore brutalized by its harsh truths and petty cruelties (e.g. Maggie the Cat, Blanche DuBois, Amanda Wingfield).
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Even in cases where the elites get what’s coming to them, as was arguably the case with Czarist Russia, the consequences at a human level are often dire, and the ideals sooner or later give way to personal ambitions, petty score settling and violence for the sake of violence.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former petty crook and caterer in St. Petersburg, used his association with President Vladimir Putin to create a web of companies dabbling in all sorts of dubious activities, including information warfare.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petty
Cite this Entry
“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petty. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
petty
adjective
pet·ty
ˈpet-ē 
pettier; pettiest
1
: lesser in rank or importance : minor
a petty prince
2
: having little or no importance or meaning
petty details
3
: having or displaying a mean narrow-minded attitude : small-minded
Etymology
Middle English pety "small, minor," an altered form of petit (same meaning), from early French petit "small"
Legal Definition
Biographical Definition
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