The meaning of PETTY is having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate. How to use petty in a sentence.

petty adjective (SELFISH) selfish and mean, esp. because of having too much interest in small and unimportant matters:

If you describe someone's behavior as petty, you mean that they care too much about small, unimportant things and perhaps that they are unnecessarily unkind.

Definition of petty adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

1. of little or no importance; inconsequential: petty grievances. 2. of lesser importance or merit; minor: petty considerations. 3. having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.: petty minds. 4. …

Nov 14, 2025 · The adjective is derived from Middle English peti, pety (“little, small; minor”) [and other forms], [1] from Anglo-Norman petit, Middle French petit, and Old French peti, petit, pitet …

PETTY definition: Richard, born 1937, U.S. racing-car driver. See examples of Petty used in a sentence.

PETTY meaning: 1 : not very important or serious; 2 : relating to things that are not very important or serious

petty meaning, definition, what is petty: a petty problem, detail etc is small and...: Learn more.

Petty used to mean just "petite" or "small," but now it's used for things that are trivial and shouldn’t matter much. If you host world leaders and spend more time picking napkins than memorizing …