pettiness

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We know this because Charles Dance recites Michelangelo’s snidest journal passages throughout, bringing a welcome pettiness to an otherwise staid chapter of art history.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

More broadly the play is a tart vivisection of human pettiness and venality, as one by one the characters’ prejudices, peccadilloes and blinkered views are exposed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Brooks was arrested and told officers: "It was really just pettiness on the part of people - I know I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have done Photoshop."

From BBC • Aug. 19, 2025

A maddening combination of good intentions and self-destructive tendencies — accommodating sensitivity and unforgivable pettiness — Vicente has a sharp mind for math, physics and astronomy that he loves sharing with his daughters.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2024

He wasn’t vulnerable to that kind of pettiness.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee