petty
IPA: pˈɛti
noun
- (dialectal, euphemistic, informal) An outbuilding used as a lavatory; an outhouse, a privy.
- (historical) A class or school for young schoolboys.
- (obsolete, chiefly in the plural, also figuratively) A little schoolboy, either in grade or size.
- A surname.
adjective
- (often derogatory)
- Having little or no importance.
- Of persons or their behaviour: marked by or reflective of undesirably limited interests, sympathies, or views; begrudging, selfish, small-minded; also, preoccupied with subjects having little or no importance and not mindful of broader concerns.
- (informal) Inclined to cause frustration or annoyance to others out of spite over minor grievances; extremely vindictive.
- (historical) Of or relating to the lowest grade or level of school; junior, primary.
- (obsolete except in set phrases)
- Little or small in size.
- Secondary in importance or rank; minor, subordinate.
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Examples of "petty" in Sentences
- The merits of the fact are petty.
- The inexperience concerns seem petty.
- He's a vainglorious and petty autocrat.
- The oppositions appear to be flimsy and petty.
- They are often the petty shopkeepers in the villages.
- It is petty details of life and the eternal verities.
- The album was a breakthrough for Petty and the Heartbreakers.
- It's petty foolishness and is symptomatic of clannish myopia.
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