PETTY Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

petty

adjective

ˈpe-tē

Definition of petty

as in small

not broad or open in views or opinions a petty little town that was not ethnically diverse and very happy about the situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nominal

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention obsessed over even petty problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of petty Joe did not have the time or patience for petty party politics. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2026 Instead of embracing the moment, too many players have projected petty jealousy, a grievance mentality and, at times, what many fans perceive as racial resentment. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026 To hear Ossoff, a more moderate Democrat in a reddish-purple state, direct a sharp—albeit petty—jab directly at the president thrilled such voters. — Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026 Again and again, Bass went after Raman in the pettiest, most personal ways. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for petty

Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty

Adjective

That’s a dangerous prospect for any country, but especially for Singapore, crammed into a space smaller than New York City.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
But after home brewers were able to show the appeal of hoppy IPAs, malty stouts and citrusy wheat ales, that eventually led to a boom in small breweries.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

This decision risks a reduction in the price dairy farmers receive for their cull cows and higher profits for foreign beef exporters, all for a potentially nominal decrease in the retail ground beef price.

— Esme Murphy, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent August polling shows the Texas Senate race is a statistical tie, with Talarico holding a slight nominal lead.

— Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of nominal

Adjective

In some cases, opposition might amount to parochial not in my backyard — or NIMBY — concerns.

— Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
Several residents who spoke at the meetings characterized the opposition as a vocal minority of residents who have fixated on a few mostly parochial issues.

— John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of parochial

Adjective

The delicate shape still nods to classic ballet flats, but the slight heel gives everything a little more polish, making the pairing feel less Sunday lunch with your nan and more Copenhagen Fashion Week.

— Georgia Brown, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2026
Early pothole testing actually caused a slight structural bend in a rear swingarm.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of slight

Adjective

Burner accounts from China and Russia And those partnership ads are channeled through a narrow group of creators, ORL says.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Just like their simulated counterparts, the worms consistently moved through the narrower channels faster than the wider ones.

— K. R. Prathyusha, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of narrow

Adjective

Getting that apparently trivial behavior working involved Home Assistant, MQTT, custom software, and more Claude, Codex and ChatGPT tokens than one should reasonably associate with boiling pasta.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2026
Thousands of comments flooded the post mocking the department for spending its time on such a trivial matter.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of trivial

Adjective

Big picture The league and the union are meeting regularly on various topics, but their disagreement on core economics — whether to move to a cap system — leaves little room for progress on the major issues.

— Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
But that bipartisan effort was immediately panned by conservative groups, and little else has emerged as a serious solution.

— Ashley Lopez, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of little

Adjective

In less trifling hands, there’s no telling what these tools could do, are doing now.

— CHRIS COLIN, Wired News, 18 May 2026
Meanwhile, that global temperature record that DiCaprio mentioned in his acceptance speech in 2016 seems almost trifling compared to what has happened since.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026