petty
/ˈpɛt.i/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.07 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
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.
Derogatory
adj
Inclined to cause frustration or annoyance to others out of spite over minor grievances; extremely vindictive.
Derogatory; Informal
adj
Secondary in importance or rank; minor, subordinate.
noun
A class or school for young schoolboys.
Example Sentences
- "a petty fault petty squabbles"
- "Your minde is toſſing on the Ocean, / There vvhere your Argoſies vvith portly ſayle, / Like Signiors and rich Burgars on the flood, / Or as it vvere the Pageants of the ſea, / Doe ouer-peere the petty traffiquers / That curſie to them, do them reuerence / As they flie by them vvith their vvouen vvings."
- "I could have liv'd like Hengiſt, King of Kent, / London, York, Lincoln, and VVincheſter, / Under the povver of my Command, the portion / Of my moſt juſt deſert, enjoyed novv / By pettier Deſervers."
- "His birth, perhaps, ſome petty Village hides, / And ſets his Cradle out of Fortune's way: […]"
- "Yea, he did hold me to it at that rate alſo, about a great many more things than here I relate; as, that it was a ſhame to ſit vvhining and mourning under a Sermon, and a ſhame to come ſighing and groaning home. That it was a ſhame to ask my Neighbour forgiveneſs for petty faults, or to make restitution vvhere I have taken from any: […]"
- "[H]is VVords vvere ranged vvith more care and leſs confidence than before, and in all his Actions he eſſay'd to beſpeak me an opinion, that the VVorld could not offer him an employment vvhich vvas not leſs important and conſiderable in his thoughts, than the pettieſt occaſion to ſerve and pleaſe me."
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɛt.i/
- British English: /ˈpɛt.i/
Usage
Inflected Forms
pettier (comparative)
more petty (comparative)
pettiest (superlative)
most petty (superlative)
petties (plural)
Pettys (plural)