noun
- the quality of being concerned with trivial or unimportant matters
- the quality of being mean-spirited or spiteful about small things
Examples
- The pettiness of their argument over who should wash the dishes was embarrassing.
- She was tired of the office pettiness and constant gossip.
- His pettiness showed when he refused to help simply because of a minor disagreement.
- The committee got bogged down in pettiness instead of addressing the real issues.
- Her pettiness toward her ex-boyfriend made her friends uncomfortable.
- The pettiness of the complaint surprised everyone at the meeting.