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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
obsessed over even petty problems
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of petty
At the end of his 17-minute monologue, which was filled with reflections on current events and personal anecdotes, the controversial comedian reminded Trump that the presidency is more than just petty politics.
—
Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2025
This entire season was full of relatively pointless and petty dramas, but each meaningless fight or disagreement was a front for the tension bubbling under the surface.
—Sarah Hagi, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025
But the smoke is still rising, and petty partisanship is a distraction and disservice at the moment, given all that’s been lost, and all the hard work of moving forward.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
In an era of steadily declining trust in media, the dry formalities of a legal template provide not only an imprimatur of institutional credibility, but also the freedom to go into extreme amounts of detail without seeming petty, tedious or self-indulgent.
—Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for petty 
Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2025
This entire season was full of relatively pointless and petty dramas, but each meaningless fight or disagreement was a front for the tension bubbling under the surface.
—Sarah Hagi, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025
But the smoke is still rising, and petty partisanship is a distraction and disservice at the moment, given all that’s been lost, and all the hard work of moving forward.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
In an era of steadily declining trust in media, the dry formalities of a legal template provide not only an imprimatur of institutional credibility, but also the freedom to go into extreme amounts of detail without seeming petty, tedious or self-indulgent.
—Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for petty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petty
Adjective
-
Negative thinking focuses all our thoughts and energy inward which in turn creates a small and narrow focus.—
Sandy Thibault,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
-
The pig’s mouth revealed its ordinary sharp, tusk-like canines saddled up beside smaller, slightly more human-looking teeth nubs.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Here’s why: Although technical specifications are still being worked out, the new standard could deliver nominal peak data rates of more than 40Gbps.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
30 Jan. 2025
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For the next fiscal year, Nomura analysts said the government might set a nominal GDP growth target of 10.3%, up from 9.7% for the current fiscal year ending March 2025.—
Lim Hui Jie,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This may seem like an impossible task in a world where politics is becoming more divisive, foreign policy more parochial, and social media bubbles more impenetrable.—
Harvey Whitehouse,
WIRED,
23 Jan. 2025
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For more than a century, religious education had been deeply entrenched in the state; in Cleveland, the parochial system was one of the largest in the country.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The album arrives after a slight delay, originally slated for Jan. 24 but postponed due to The Weeknd’s $1 million donation to Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Jan. 2025
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Despite this, Ham performed his tasks well with only a slight delay during the deceleration, researchers found.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Indeed, Fox News enjoys a narrower degree of separation from the Trump administration these days, owing to the fact that two former anchors, Pete Hegesth and Sean Duffy, have been approved to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2025
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Nissan’s profits in the six months ending in September plunged 94% compared with the same period in 2023, as the company lost money on auto operations and reported only a narrow profit due to its financing business.—
Olesya Dmitracova and Chris Isidore,
CNN,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This is where seemingly trivial activities can make a big difference.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
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Yes, there are negative side effects, but Shields credits her maturing body with helping to solidify her resolve, giving her a new perspective on time management and giving her the confidence to ignore trivial matters.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The post-election period has seen a rather dramatic fall off in MSNBC’s audience, likely as so many Democrats tuned out in post-election fatigue or little desire to watch Donald Trump savor his election victory.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2025
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At this point, little is known about the contaminants lingering in the wildfire ash in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Feb. 2024
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The cost to find these answers, even in the near term, is relatively trifling.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
30 Oct. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near petty
Cite this Entry
“Petty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petty. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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