The petty meaning is either small and unimportant, as in a petty complaint, or small-minded: caring too much about minor things and reacting in a mean or spiteful way. If a coworker stops saying good morning to you because you took the last chair at a meeting, that is petty behaviour.
In conversation today, petty nearly always describes people and their reactions, and it has a lively slang life online, where people even joke about being "a little petty" on purpose. The first sense survives in fixed terms such as petty cash, petty theft and petty officer, where petty simply means minor or low level.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Trivial; or mean-spirited over trivial thingsPart of speech
AdjectivePronunciation
PET-eeWord forms
pettier, pettiest, pettiness (noun), pettily (adverb)Origin
Middle English peti, from Old French petit, small; late 1300sOpposite
generous, big-hearted, magnanimous; important, majorRegister
Neutral; very common in informal talk
Petty definition: four ways the word is used
- Small-minded or spiteful. Holding grudges or taking revenge over minor things: "It was petty of him to unfollow her over a joke."
- Trivial or unimportant. "Let's not waste the meeting on petty details."
- Minor, in law. A small offence rather than a serious one: petty theft, petty crime, petty offences.
- Low in rank or scale. A petty official is a minor bureaucrat; a petty trader runs a very small business.
For a one-line definition of petty, or to define petty for a friend: concerned with, or describing, things that are small, often with the hint that someone is making them bigger than they deserve.
Petty in fixed terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Petty cash | A small amount of money kept in an office for minor expenses like tea, stamps or taxi fares |
| Petty theft / petty larceny | Stealing items of low value; the exact limit depends on local law |
| Petty officer | A non-commissioned rank in many navies |
| Petty crime | Minor offences such as shoplifting or vandalism |
| Petty bourgeois | From French; the lower middle class, often used critically |
Being petty: the slang sense
In everyday chat, "being petty" means responding to a small slight with an equally small but pointed act of revenge. Examples: replying "k" to a long message, returning a borrowed pen only after being asked three times because they did the same to you, or wearing the exact outfit a rival said looked bad. People sometimes use it with pride and humour: "I'm not saying I'm petty, but I remember who didn't invite me in Class 6."
The noun form is pettiness: "Her pettiness ruined the group project."
Origin of the word
Petty is the English form of Old French petit, small. Written peti in the Middle English of the late 1300s, it meant small or minor and kept that sense in legal and official phrases. Records show petty officer by the 1570s and petty cash by the 1830s. Calling a person petty, meaning small-minded or mean, extends the same picture to someone whose concerns are tiny. French petit also survives directly in English words like petite and petit four.
Petty meaning in sentences
- The neighbours have been fighting about a petty boundary issue for years.
- Don't be petty; just tell him you're upset.
- The accountant topped up the petty cash box on Monday.
- He was arrested for petty theft after taking a phone charger from a shop.
- Leaving her off the group chat felt like a petty move.
Close words and opposites
Near words include trivial and minor for the unimportant sense, and small-minded, spiteful and vindictive for the personal sense. Vindictive is stronger, suggesting a real wish to hurt. Petty behaviour often grows out of resentment or envy, and it can sit beside being pedantic, which means fussing over small rules or details.
Opposites are generous, gracious and magnanimous for people, and major or serious for things. Browse other character words in our section on people.
Frequently asked questions
Is petty an insult?
When said about a person, usually yes. It suggests they are small-minded or spiteful. Among friends it can be teasing, and some people call themselves petty as a joke.
What does petty cash mean?
Petty cash is a small fund of money kept on hand in an office or shop to pay for minor costs, such as snacks for a meeting or a courier charge.
What is the opposite of petty?
For people, generous, gracious or big-hearted. For things, important, serious or major.
How do you spell the comparative?
Pettier and pettiest, changing the y to i. The noun is pettiness.
Is petty the same as jealous?
No. Jealous is about fearing to lose something or someone to a rival. Petty is about overreacting to small things. Jealousy can lead to petty behaviour, though.
Where does petty come from?
Its source is French petit, small. For over six hundred years English has used it for minor things, and later for small-minded people too.