Definitions for petty
ˈpɛt ipet·ty

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. petit larceny, petty larceny, petty(adj)

   larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale)

2. junior-grade, lower-ranking, lowly, petty(a), secondary, subaltern(adj)

   inferior in rank or status

   "the junior faculty"; "a lowly corporal"; "petty officialdom"; "a subordinate functionary"

3. fiddling, footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, piddling, piffling, petty, picayune, trivial(adj)

   (informal) small and of little importance

   "a fiddling sum of money"; "a footling gesture"; "our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war"; "a little (or small) matter"; "a dispute over niggling details"; "limited to petty enterprises"; "piffling efforts"; "giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction"

4. petty, small-minded(adj)

   contemptibly narrow in outlook

   "petty little comments"; "disgusted with their small-minded pettiness"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. petty(Adjective)

   (obsolete except in set phrases) little, small, secondary in rank or importance

   Etymology: From petit, English since the late 14th century.

2. petty(Adjective)

   insignificant, trifling, or inconsiderable

   a petty fault

   Etymology: From petit, English since the late 14th century.

3. petty(Adjective)

   narrow-minded, small-minded

   Etymology: From petit, English since the late 14th century.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Petty

   little; trifling; inconsiderable; also, inferior; subordinate; as, a petty fault; a petty prince

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Petty

   Petty is an unincorporated community in Lamar County, Texas, United States. The Chisum Independent School District serves area students.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Petty

   pet′i, adj. small: of less importance: lower in rank, power, &c.: inconsiderable, insignificant: contemptible.—adv. Pett′ily.—n. Pett′iness.—Petty cash, small sums of money received or paid; Petty larceny (see Larceny); Petty officer, a naval officer with rank corresponding to a non-commissioned officer in the army. [O. Fr. petit.]

Etymology and Origins(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Petty

   Provincial for an out-house, because its accommodation is restricted to one person; also called a “Privy,” short for private.

How to pronounce petty?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say petty in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of petty in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of petty in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of petty in a Sentence

1. Theophrastus:

   Petty ambition would seem to be a mean craving after distinction.

2. Daniel Wu:

   We're being smashed in as a one-two punch. There's low-level petty crime that's happening to our community. We're being targeted as easy targets, but at a bigger scale, racist rhetoric from the pandemic has targeted us as being' the reason for coronavirus,' and so Asians across the board have been targeted by racial slurs, being attacked, being pushed around, being spat on.

3. Letitia Elizabeth Landon:

   Conjugal government requires its treatises. A young woman setting out in life lacks a printed guide. Her cookery-book, however, may afford some useful hints till one be actually directed to the important subject just mentioned. Many well-known receipts are equally available for a batterie de cuisine or du cœur. Your roasted husband is subdued by the fire of fierce words and fiercer looks — your broiled husband, under the pepper and salt of taunt and innuendo — your stewed husband, under the constant application of petty vexations — your boiled husband dissolves under the watery influences — while your confectionized husband goes through a course of the blanc mange of flattery, or the preserves and sweets of caresses and smiles.

4. Patrick Leahy:

   Instead of standing with our neighbors, our fellow Americans, the president has chosen to hold petty grudges that are way beneath the office of the presidency.

5. Sirpa Franzen:

   We see everything from people with a background in petty crime to well-established young men who have found a place in society.

Images & Illustrations of petty

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