petty

Meaning

Adj

1. (derogatory, often) Having little or no importance.
2. (derogatory, often) 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.
3. (derogatory, informal, often) Inclined to cause frustration or annoyance to others out of spite over minor grievances; extremely vindictive.
4. (historical) Of or relating to the lowest grade or level of school; junior, primary.
5. Little or small in size.
6. Secondary in importance or rank; minor, subordinate.

Noun

1. (dialectal, euphemistic, informal) An outbuilding used as a lavatory; an outhouse, a privy.
2. (historical) A class or school for young schoolboys.
3. (also, figuratively, in-plural, obsolete) A little schoolboy, either in grade or size.

Opposite of

unimportant, ignorable, inconsequential, insignificant, minor, negligible, trivial, unremarkable, broad-minded, small, tiny, grand, high

Synonyms

trifling

trivial

insignificant

small

paltry

minor

little

slight

small-minded

mean

unimportant

niggling

narrow-minded

piddling

stingy

negligible

tiny

petit larceny

niggle

puny

petty larceny

picayune

footling

lowly

fiddling

piffling

lilliputian

cheap

not great

junior-grade

ungenerous

trite

worthless

lower-ranking

subaltern

immaterial

poor

secondary

frivolous

petit

meaningless

pettifogging

odd

peddling

feeble

light

junk

faint

intolerant

insular

Translations

pequeño

meschino

unbedeutend

mesquin

klein

insignificante

piccolo

petit

mesquinho

insignificante

gering

pequeno

futile

mezquino

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɛt.i/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: peti

Cognate with French: petit

In summary

The adjective is derived from Middle English peti, pety (“little, small; minor”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman petit, Middle French petit, and Old French peti, petit, pitet (“young; little, small; inferior; insignificant”) (modern French petit), ultimately of imitative origin. It is no longer thought that the word is derived from Celtic. Doublet of petit and petite.
The noun is derived from the adjective.