1
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of petty
This is more than just petty high-school behaviour to be brushed off.
—
Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
In interviews and presentations to the city council, Xiong, who is Hmong, has spoken openly about his experiences as a teen drug dealer, gang member and petty criminal and his subsequent incarceration, which ended a decade ago.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 29 Jan. 2026
This one-year penance business reeks of score-settling, petty grudges and arm-twisting.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
These people are so childish and petty.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
In interviews and presentations to the city council, Xiong, who is Hmong, has spoken openly about his experiences as a teen drug dealer, gang member and petty criminal and his subsequent incarceration, which ended a decade ago.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 29 Jan. 2026
This one-year penance business reeks of score-settling, petty grudges and arm-twisting.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
These people are so childish and petty.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty
Adjective
-
Caudle told The Associated Press in a recent interview that his vision is to deploy smaller, newer ships when possible instead of consistently turning to huge aircraft carriers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The small edit stood out for its playful party spirit and the brand was instantly associated to a sense of fun and maximalism unusual in the Scandinavian fashion scene.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The source said the Heat were not willing to offload for nominal draft capital.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
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Today, his brother Raúl Castro is 94, and Cuba’ s nominal president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, is an obscure bureaucrat who has a hard time keeping his audiences awake.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This aligns with findings from empathy research, which distinguishes between parochial empathy (caring for one’s in-group) and universal empathy (concern for all people).—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Working-class voters visiting a Reform clubhouse were more likely to find young professionals discussing weighty matters of foreign policy rather than parochial issues like street paving.—
Daniel Wortel-London,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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On Friday, there was only a slight danger of avalanches in Slovakia's highest mountain range.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
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Sateen weave bedding also tends to have a slight sheen with a drapey design, and an opulent feel right out of the package, Brenot points out.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Such a narrow margin means only a handful of disgruntled GOP members are needed to deal a defeat to their party leadership.—
Daniel C. Vock,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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On that day, the moon will completely cover the sun for several minutes along a narrow path of totality that sweeps across Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And what may be trivial to you may be important enough to Mamdani to not be changed.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
For Toyota to possibly cannibalize Tacoma performance for the sake of a new, likely lower-margin model seems trivial at best.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The importance of motive At this point, there’s little to suggest the motive is political or ideological, Leising said.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
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The big-tech releases from last week did little to calm nerves stateside, while some of Europe's biggest names are preparing to report this week.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The health factor is no trifling qualifier for a player who has missed time with shoulder and oblique injuries, in addition to that unfortunate incident with his pelvic floor.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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Talk of mounting nuclear readiness towards Russia, which has more atomic weapons than any other country in the world, could overshadow more trifling domestic matters, like the Epstein scandal, for instance.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petty. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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