'Petty' definitions:

Definition of 'petty'

From: WordNet
adjective
Inferior in rank or status; "the junior faculty"; "a lowly corporal"; "petty officialdom"; "a subordinate functionary" [syn: junior-grade, lower-ranking, lowly, petty(a), secondary, subaltern]
adjective
(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" [syn: fiddling, footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, piddling, piffling, petty, picayune, trivial]
adjective
Contemptibly narrow in outlook; "petty little comments"; "disgusted with their small-minded pettiness" [syn: petty, small-minded]
noun
Larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale) [syn: petit larceny, petty larceny, petty] [ant: grand larceny, grand theft]

Definition of 'Petty'

From: GCIDE
  • Petty \Pet"ty\ (p[e^]t"t[y^]), a. [Compar. Pettier (p[e^]t"t[i^]*[~e]r); superl. Pettiest.] [OE. petit, F. petit; probably of Celtic origin, and akin to E. piece. Cf. Petit.] Little; trifling; inconsiderable; unimportant; also, inferior; subordinate; as, a petty fault; petty complaints; a petty prince. --Denham. [1913 Webster]
  • Like a petty god I walked about, admired of all. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
  • Petty averages. See under Average.
  • Petty cash, money expended or received in small items or amounts.
  • Petty officer, a subofficer in the navy, as a gunner, etc., corresponding to a noncommissionned officer in the army. [1913 Webster]
  • Note: For petty constable, petty jury, petty larceny, petty treason, See Petit. [1913 Webster]
  • Syn: Little; diminutive; inconsiderable; inferior; trifling; trivial; unimportant; frivolous. [1913 Webster]

Words containing 'Petty'