— pettily , adv. — pettiness , n.
/pet"ee/ , adj., pettier, pettiest .
1. of little or no importance or consequence: petty grievances.
2. of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor: petty considerations.
3. having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.: petty minds.
4. mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things: a petty person.
5. showing or caused by meanness of spirit: a petty revenge.
6. of secondary rank, esp. in relation to others of the same class or kind: petty states; a petty tyrant.
[ 1325-75; ME peti ( t ) small, minor petit pittittus, of expressive orig. ]
Syn. 1. nugatory, negligible, inconsiderable, slight. PETTY, PALTRY, TRIFLING, TRIVIAL apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. PETTY implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. PALTRY is applied to something that is beneath one's notice, even despicable: a paltry amount. Something that is TRIFLING is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is TRIVIAL is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task. 3. small. 4. stingy, miserly.
Ant. 1. important. 4. generous.