petty

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++pet·ty /ˈpeti/ ●○○ adjective  1  UNIMPORTANTa petty problem, detail etc is small and unimportant 〔问题、细节等〕小的，琐碎的，不重要的 SYN trivial petty squabbles 小口角 petty restrictions 小限制2  GENEROUSunkind and caring too much about small unimportant things 小气的，小心眼的，心胸狭窄的；只关注琐事的 How can she be so petty? 她怎么会那么小心眼？ petty jealousy and spitefulness 小心眼的嫉妒和怨恨3. petty crime SCCa crime that is not serious, for example stealing things that are not very valuable 轻罪4. petty criminal/thief etc a criminal whose crimes are not very serious 轻罪犯/小窃贼等5  GENEROUSa petty official is not important – used especially when they use their power as if they were important 〔官员〕不重要的，芝麻绿豆大的〔尤用于摆架子的官员〕 Some petty bureaucrat wanted all the documents in triplicate. 有些小官僚要求所有文件都一式三份。 —pettiness noun [uncountable] the pettiness of Hollywood 好莱坞的狭隘

Examples from the Corpus

petty• But we kept pushing forward and we fought fair and we tried not to be petty.• Sometimes he can be so petty about money.• So can a person caged in corporate life begin to assume huge anxieties about petty annoyances.• This isn't about some petty artistic vendetta.• I was too defiant to return to such an art school, so cramped, so bunged up with petty authority.• The meeting spent too much time on petty issues, and didn't address the real problem.• The sudden rivalries and petty jealousies.• We started having arguments over petty little things.• The new courts were designed to relieve police courts of petty offences.• a petty personal attack• And how petty those ambitions were, really, besides my family's happiness.Origin petty (1300-1400) Old French peti “small”

pet·ty adjectiveChineseSyllable  

problem, petty detail etc is small Corpus a

petty
pet‧ty /ˈpeti/ adjective1. a petty problem, detail etc is small and unimportant
   SYN  trivial:
    petty squabbles
    petty restrictions
2. unkind and caring too much about small unimportant things:
    How can she be so petty?
    petty jealousy and spitefulness
3. petty crime a crime that is not serious, for example stealing things that are not very valuable
4. petty criminal/thief etc a criminal whose crimes are not very serious
5. a petty official is not important – used especially when they use their power as if they were important:
    Some petty bureaucrat wanted all the documents in triplicate.
—pettiness noun [uncountable]:
    the pettiness of Hollywood

pettyBrE /ˈpeti/ 🔊NAmE /ˈpeti/ 🔊 adjective (usually disapproving) [usually before noun] small and unimportant 小的；琐碎的；次要的 SYN minor ◆petty squabbles小口角◆petty crime/theft (= that is not very serious) 轻微罪行；小偷小摸◆a petty criminal/thief 轻罪犯；小窃贼◆a petty bureaucrat/official (= who does not have much power or authority, although they might pretend to) 小官僚；小官员caring too much about small and unimportant matters, especially when this is unkind to other people 小气的；狭隘的 SYN small-minded ◆How could you be so petty? 你怎么那么小气呢？🔊🔊▸ petti·ness BrE /ˈpetinəs/ 🔊NAmE /ˈpetinəs/ 🔊 noun [uncountable]