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
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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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
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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
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
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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
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Feb. 2024
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The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
30 Oct. 2023
Adjective
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So that seems to apply even to sports, something that seems kind of trivial.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
9 Feb. 2025
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Identifying whether a stock will rise or fall and when that move will happen are not trivial questions.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That means there’s little impetus for interest rate cuts to support job growth.—
Simon Moore,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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