pettifogging

adjective

Definition of pettifoggingnext
as in slight
old-fashioned worrying too much about details that are minor or not important pettifogging lawyers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogging
  1. slight
  2. petty
  3. tiny
  4. minute
  5. trifling
  6. trivial
  7. little
  8. piddling
Adjective
  • Pope Francis showed slight improvement on Monday, the Vatican said, adding that the pontiff’s condition remained critical.
    — Emma Bubola, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
  • But if Maxey asserts himself as a nightly threat to erupt for 25-plus points, Embiid could take a slight step back on offense next season.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • The professor said the groups committed crimes, but their offenses were relatively petty by today’s standards: brawling and shakedowns of non-gang members for their bikes or lunch money.
    — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2025
  • With the wave of a hand—or, to be more precise, the tapping of a few overnight posts on social media—American political horizons are being remade in ways that are petty and absurd.
    — Penny Abeywardena, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • For almost a quarter century, Randy Bennett has turned this tiny Catholic college from an also-ran to a perennial NCAA Tournament team.
    — Brett Koremenos, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
  • If another clot develops, athletes might get surgery to remove the first rib and insert a tiny balloon in the blood vessel to open it up, Hofmann says.
    — Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • In the demo, robots checked pucks for minute scratches, many of which were difficult to spot with the naked eye.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2019
  • Moreover, the judges noted, forbidding the use of chemicals that carry a minute risk of cancer might prompt manufacturers to use compounds that are more toxic, albeit in noncancerous ways.
    — Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Definition of minute
Adjective
  • And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
  • The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
Definition of trifling
Adjective
  • So that seems to apply even to sports, something that seems kind of trivial.
    — Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 9 Feb. 2025
  • Identifying whether a stock will rise or fall and when that move will happen are not trivial questions.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025
Definition of trivial
Adjective
  • That means there’s little impetus for interest rate cuts to support job growth.
    — Simon Moore, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Many Manchester United supporters still lament the removal of the words ‘Football Club’ from the crest in 1998 — controversial at the time, but the same words or the initials ‘F.C.’ are now regularly dispensed with little comment.
    — Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
Definition of little
Adjective
  • Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.
    — Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 3 Dec. 2020
  • Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.
    — Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2020
Definition of piddling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 7 Mar. 2025.

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