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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.

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

From Slate Jul. 13, 2026

The general reaction to the policy has been overwhelmingly positive, Xue said, aside from some remarks on social media that charging for a smashed teacup was a petty move.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 8, 2026

Hearing that all these years later, it’s hard not to conclude that the petty complainers won.

From Salon Jun. 26, 2026

"That's one of my favourite things," she says "I can write a song about being petty or jealous or super insecure, and I get it off my chest in a way that seems productive."

From BBC Jun. 10, 2026

How petty she sounded, complaining about the inconvenience to herself.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

“If I find him annoying, that means that maybe I’m going to come in a little bit pettier than usual,” says Martin.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 31, 2024

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

But because Doncic is an NBA all-star, his true intent probably was pettier — an insinuation that the refs were on the Suns’ payroll.

From Washington Post May 10, 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

But how could you touch men's souls with transforming effect, where the poor body—the humble mask through which the soul gazes—was torn with great pain, or perplexed with pettier ills?

From A Dream of the North Sea by Runciman, James

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

The blog post is a tidy package of the pettiest things many of us might have thought and felt in the throes of our first cosmos-shifting romances, but were probably too self-aware to say aloud.

From Slate Apr. 9, 2018

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

From One Of Them by Lever, Charles James




Vocabulary lists containing petty


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