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Definitions

petty

[pet-ee] / ˈpɛt i /


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.

See Examples For:

But while Argentina was being petty and petulant, Spain was practically perfect in every way.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 20, 2026

Or was his quest for power rooted in sheer petty selfishness?

From Slate Jul. 13, 2026

“These are barely grievances. They are petty complaints, and they have nothing to do with a Declaration of Independence from England and tyranny!”

From Salon Jun. 26, 2026

In 1921, a series of petty crimes swept through Southampton, England.

From The Wall Street Journal May 22, 2026

My petty mission no longer seemed to matter.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

It doesn’t get any pettier and mean-girlie than “Did she sandblast her face or something? It’s very waxy.”

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 23, 2025

Listen, I’m sure there will be a lot of sturm und drang about what the whistleblower disclosures mean for Elon Musk’s Twitter deal, but I want to focus on something dumber and pettier: Jack Dorsey.

From The Verge Aug. 23, 2022

It’s a juicy lineup of familiar characters who are greedier and pettier than those that usually populate historical epics.

From New York Times Oct. 13, 2021

Like most reality shows, “Housewives” thrives on drama — the pettier the better.

From Washington Post Jul. 22, 2020

He mingled those comforting suggestions of a potent and exceptional human being emancipated from the pettier limitations of integrity with the Napoleonic legend.

From Tono Bungay by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

It’s elementary: Characters can do outlandish things, commit outrageous crimes, be inspired by the pettiest of motives.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 30, 2025

Furst insisted no topic is off the table, from the pettiest accusation to the most serious charge.

From Seattle Times Dec. 21, 2023

Know this about the greatest teams: They’re the pettiest, most punctilious outfits you ever saw.

From Washington Post Feb. 13, 2023

It was a quick, neat and efficient resolution to the pettiest of problems, one which probably would have gone unheeded before the arrival of the militants.

From New York Times Jul. 1, 2018

It is the poorest of all wars, for it is the pettiest of all objects.

From One Of Them by Lever, Charles James




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