1. in a petty manner; showing concern with unimportant matters or acting in a small-minded way

Examples

• She pettily refused to help her neighbor after their minor disagreement.
• The manager pettily criticized employees for taking breaks that were two minutes too long.
• He pettily kept track of every small favor he did for others.
• The siblings argued pettily over who got the bigger slice of cake.
• She pettily withheld information that could have helped the project succeed.
• The committee pettily debated the font choice for hours instead of addressing real issues.