petty

/ˈpɛdi/

/ˈpɛti/

Other forms: pettiest; pettier; petties

Petty used to mean just "petite" or "small," but now it's used for things that are trivial and shouldn’t matter much. If you host world leaders and spend more time picking napkins than memorizing names, you're focused on petty things.

A few neutral meanings of petty are still in use today — such as "petty cash," which refers to a small amount of cash on hand — but most uses of petty since the 16th century are negative, as in "narrow-minded," "trivial," and "of little importance." A "petty argument" is a popular expression, because many people get all worked up over something that isn't very important — a petty concern — that seems much smaller after the heat of the moment.

Definitions of petty

1. adjective

   (informal) small and of little importance
   “limited to petty enterprises”

   synonyms: fiddling, footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, picayune, piddling, piffling, trivial

   unimportant

   not important
2. adjective

   inferior in rank or status
   “petty officialdom”

   synonyms: junior-grade, lower-ranking, lowly, secondary, subaltern

   junior

   younger; lower in rank; shorter in length of tenure or service
3. adjective

   (of a crime) lesser in seriousness or importance
   synonyms: petit
4. noun

   larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale)
   synonyms: petit larceny, petty larceny

   type of:

   larceny, stealing, theft, thievery, thieving

   the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
5. adjective

   contemptibly narrow in outlook
   “petty little comments”

   synonyms: small-minded

   blinkered, narrow, narrow-minded

   lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view