as in slight
old-fashioned
worrying too much about details that are minor or not important
pettifogging lawyers
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogging
Adjective
-
Car buyers are benefiting from a slight downturn in interest rates, too.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
31 July 2025 -
The agency also issued forecast alerts of slight sea level changes for the rest of Japan’s coastline.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Without wanting to trivialize egregious breaches of sovereignty like the invasion of Ukraine, most are undeniably petty.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
25 July 2025
-
The disappearance of dozens of shopping carts, the closure of self-checkout lanes, and a visible rise in shoplifting, panhandling, loitering and petty crime left customers, managers and officials at City Hall all trading blame.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
One nautical mile west of Santorini, opposite the village of Oia and the caldera, lies the tiny island of Therasia, accessible via boat departing from Ammoudi Bay.—
Monica Mendal,
Vogue,
15 July 2025
-
Her tiny strides nestled among the cypress trees near the Guadalupe River.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Furthermore, the decomposition of the body at the time of discovery complicates interpretation of sometimes minute physical findings suggestive of asphyxia.—
Michael Dorgan , Alexandra Koch , Bill Melugin , Garrett Tenney,
FOXNews.com,
22 July 2025
-
This is a minute calculation that’s so small as to feel imperceptible and likely happens without much thought at all.—
Megan C. Reynolds,
Time,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
-
Frankly, the more trifling the crime, the better this franchise’s comedy aspirations would work.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But there is no man with a hammer; the happy man lives at his ease, and trivial daily cares faintly agitate him like the wind in the aspen-tree — and all goes well.—
Philip Metres
July 30,
Literary Hub,
30 July 2025
-
Compared to these leaps in capability, specs like a cabin atmosphere of 2,900 feet—even while cruising at 41,000 feet—may seem trivial.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
Since all the council members sit on the budget committee that voted and heard budget, little, if anything, in the budget is expected to change.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
30 July 2025
-
The 2023 impeachment trial of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial on a range of charges including bribery and abuse of office, appeared to have done little to undermine his standing among voters.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
-
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
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.
Cite this Entry
“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share