Petty

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈpɛt.i/

Definitions

1. Of little importance or value, or relating to trivial matters and small-minded concerns
2. Trivial in nature or significance, often relating to minor issues and lacking seriousness or depth
3. Of minimal importance, often associated with insignificant details or small-minded attitudes in various contexts

Etymology: The word arrived in English from Anglo-Norman and Middle French "petit," meaning small, young, or inferior. Its ancestry is plain: Middle English "peti" and "pety" meant little or minor, and the French form it came from was itself the source of the English word "petit" and "petite," which entered English as separate borrowings. So "petty" and "petit" are doublets, two English words that descend from the same French root by different routes. The sense of "trivial" was already present in the French original, which applied the same word to things that were insignificant, not merely small in size. English kept that moral and social flavour: a petty matter is one not worth serious attention. The word is an adjective in the source, and the noun use developed from it.

Synonyms: trivial, insignificant, minor, unimportant, negligible

Antonyms: important, significant, major, vital, crucial