pet·ty
ˈpedē/
adjective
adjective: petty; comparative adjective: pettier; superlative adjective: pettiest
1.
of little importance; trivial.
"the petty divisions of party politics"
synonyms: trivial, trifling, minor, small, unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, inconsiderable, negligible, paltry, footling, pettifogging; More
antonyms: important, serious
(of behavior) characterized by an undue concern for trivial matters, especially in a small-minded or spiteful way.
"he was prone to petty revenge on friends and family"
synonyms: small-minded, mean, ungenerous, shabby, spiteful
"a petty form of revenge"
antonyms: magnanimous
2.
of secondary or lesser importance, rank, or scale; minor.
"a petty official"
LAW
(of a crime) of lesser importance.
"petty theft"
Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘small in size’): from a phonetic spelling of the pronunciation of French petit ‘small.’ Compare with petit.
Petty