# petty

/ˈpɛˌti/ (US) · /pˈɛti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/petty
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. small-minded or spiteful

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

caring too much about small things or being mean to someone over a tiny problem.

For teachers: marked by narrow-mindedness or a tendency to be spiteful over trivial grievances.

- It was petty of him to stop talking to her just because she forgot his birthday.
- The manager's petty refusal to approve a ten-minute break was seen by the staff as a deliberate attempt to exert unnecessary control.

### 2. minor or unimportant

adjective · CEFR B2

describing something that is not very important or serious.

For teachers: of secondary importance or rank; trivial in nature.

- The police deal with petty crimes like shoplifting every day.
- The legal team spent hours arguing over petty details that had no real impact on the final verdict.

### 3. an outdoor toilet

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Dialect · Informal

an old-fashioned word for an outdoor toilet.

For teachers: a dialectal and euphemistic term for an outhouse or outdoor lavatory.

- The old cottage still had a petty at the bottom of the garden.
- Before modern plumbing was installed in the village, every household relied on a petty located a short distance from the main dwelling.

Usage: Commonly used in Northern England; now largely archaic in daily speech.

## Examples

- It was petty of him to complain about a five-minute delay.
- The neighbors have been involved in a petty dispute over the height of their shared fence for years.
- While the policy changes were significant, the debate in the boardroom remained focused on petty grievances and personal slights rather than the future of the organization.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.