What does it mean when a person is being petty?
1 : having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate. 2 : having little or no importance or significance. 3 : marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies : small-minded.
Is being called petty an insult?
“Petty” literally means “small.” It evolved from the French petit in the late 14th century. A century later, it had curdled into a belittling insult, referring to issues of “small importance” or to “small minded” people. To call other people petty can be to reduce them, and swat them away.
What does Petty mean for a girl?
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 names, you’re focused on petty things.
What is the opposite of being petty?
petty. Antonyms: large, large-hearted, noble, generous, chivalrous, magnificent, liberal, broad. Synonyms: small, mean, paltry, ignoble, trifling, narrow, trivial, contemptible.
Is being petty a good thing?
Psychologists have studied the petty personality type, and petty is not pretty: Petty people tend to have lower self-esteem, less impulse control and less resilience; they also have more trouble solving problems, are less content and typically have a more negative mindset.
What is a synonym for pettiness?
In this page you can discover 22 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for pettiness, like: important, smallness, slightness, self-righteousness, indolence, shamelessness, baseness, vindictiveness, worldliness, inconsiderableness and heartlessness.
Is liberal opposite of petty?
The opposite word of petty is Liberal.
How do you act petty?
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. He was petty-minded and obsessed with detail. Never had she met such spite and pettiness.
What is the root of pettiness?
Schadenfreude: In the majority of situations this would be the most likely cause of such pettiness, as it is applicable to a more mainstream type of behavior. The chance to show up a deficit or shortcoming in another, motivated by jealousy of, or a feeling of unease stemming from threat by, that person..
What are some examples of people being petty?
The Wi-Fi password. My roommate owed me$10 for the internet but gave me$7.
What does it mean to be petty?
It is a word adopted from the French word “petit,” or small. In English, “petty” is a adjective meaning small-minded, fussy, sometimes vindictive but about small things or small elements of large things. It is never a good thing to be “petty” in English.
What is the definition of a petty person?
Petty is defined as something relatively worthless or unimportant. An example of petty is cash kept on hand for very small purchases. The definition of petty is someone who gets caught up in small details. An example of petty is a person who gets very angry when someone accidentally steps on their foot.