pettiness
Use Pettiness in a sentence
i adjective, pet·ti·er, pet·ti·est.
1.
of little or no importance or consequence: petty grievances.
2.
of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor: petty considerations.
3.
having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.: petty minds.
4.
mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things: a petty person.
5.
showing or caused by meanness of spirit: a petty revenge.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English peti(t) small, minor < Old French petit < Gallo-Romance *pittīttus, of expressive orig.
1325–75; Middle English peti(t) small, minor < Old French petit < Gallo-Romance *pittīttus, of expressive orig.
Related forms
pet·ti·ly, adverb
pet·ti·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. nugatory, negligible, inconsiderable, slight. Petty, paltry, trifling, trivial apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. Petty implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. Paltry is applied to something that is beneath one's notice, even despicable: a paltry amount. Something that is trifling is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is trivial is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task. 3. small. 4. stingy, miserly.
1. nugatory, negligible, inconsiderable, slight. Petty, paltry, trifling, trivial apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. Petty implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. Paltry is applied to something that is beneath one's notice, even despicable: a paltry amount. Something that is trifling is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is trivial is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task. 3. small. 4. stingy, miserly.
Antonyms
1. important. 4. generous.
1. important. 4. generous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To pettiness
00:10
Pettiness
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
petty (ˈpɛtɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj , -tier, -tiest | |
| 1. | trivial; trifling; inessential: petty details |
| 2. | of a narrow-minded, mean, or small-natured disposition or character: petty spite |
| 3. | minor or subordinate in rank: petty officialdom |
| 4. | law of lesser importance |
| [C14: from Old French | |
| 'pettily | |
| —adv | |
| 'pettiness | |
| —n | |
| petty (ˈpɛtɪ) | |
| —adj , -tier, -tiest | |
| 1. | trivial; trifling; inessential: petty details |
| 2. | of a narrow-minded, mean, or small-natured disposition or character: petty spite |
| 3. | minor or subordinate in rank: petty officialdom |
| 4. | law of lesser importance |
| [C14: from Old French | |
| 'pettily | |
| —adv | |
| 'pettiness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
petty
1393, "small," from O.Fr. petit "small" (see petit). In Eng., not originally disparaging (cf. petty cash, 1834, petty officer, 1577). Meaning "of small importance" is recorded from 1523; that of "small-minded" is from 1581. An old name for "Northern Lights" was petty dancers.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They're tired of the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness.
There is no place in science for partisanship, pettiness, or churlishness.
The pettiness of the blockade is striking as one looks at the particulars of its enforcement over the past several years.
In hindsight, students see the pettiness or impulsivity of their actions, which results in better future choices.
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