petty

adjective
UK: /ˈpet.i/
US: /ˈpet.i/

  1. Not important and not worth giving attention to.

    1. It's petty to argue about such a small amount of money, it's better to forget it. [ ] [ ]
    2. Their argument was petty, a disagreement over who used whose mug in the office kitchenette. [ ] [ ]

  2. Behaving in an unpleasant way because you are trying to get something or show that you are better than someone else.

    1. Don't be so petty about things, life is too short to hold grudges. [ ] [ ]
    2. It was petty of him to complain about the service when the staff were clearly overworked. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

minor stingy trivial small-minded small resentful unimportant mean
petty noun

  1. A minor or unimportant issue.

    1. Don't focus on petty things, think about big goals. [ ] [ ]
    2. She refuses to get caught up in the petties of office politics. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "petty" in English means: Not important and not worth giving attention to., Behaving in an unpleasant way because you are trying to get something or show that you are better than someone else..

The phonetic transcription of "petty" is /ˈpet.i/ in British English and /ˈpet.i/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "petty": minor, stingy, trivial, small-minded, small, resentful, unimportant, mean.

Example usage of "petty": "It's petty to argue about such a small amount of money, it's better to forget it.". More examples on the page.