pettier; pettiest
1
: having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate
2
: having little or no importance or significance
3
: marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies : small-minded
Examples of petty in a Sentence
a petty argument about grammar
My behavior was petty and stupid. I apologize.
Recent Examples on the Web
The advisory also stated that petty crimes — including pickpocketing and burglary — are common.
—
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Set in Gaza in 2007, and following the misadventures of a student (Nader Abd Alhay) and restaurant owner and petty criminal (Majd Eid), the picture premiered in Un Certain Regard last year and won the Best Director prize.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 May 2026
On Monday, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa, a former national police chief who first enforced then President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug crackdowns, in which thousands of mostly petty suspects were killed.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
But the Knicks’ 3-point sharpshooter is petty enough to get a tattoo on his leg to spite his brother.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
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Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Set in Gaza in 2007, and following the misadventures of a student (Nader Abd Alhay) and restaurant owner and petty criminal (Majd Eid), the picture premiered in Un Certain Regard last year and won the Best Director prize.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 May 2026
On Monday, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa, a former national police chief who first enforced then President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug crackdowns, in which thousands of mostly petty suspects were killed.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
But the Knicks’ 3-point sharpshooter is petty enough to get a tattoo on his leg to spite his brother.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
Cite this Entry
“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petty. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
petty
adjective
pet·ty
ˈpet-ē 
pettier; pettiest
1
: lesser in rank or importance : minor
a petty prince
2
: having little or no importance or meaning
petty details
3
: having or displaying a mean narrow-minded attitude : small-minded
Etymology
Middle English pety "small, minor," an altered form of petit (same meaning), from early French petit "small"
Legal Definition
Biographical Definition
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