as in slight
old-fashioned
worrying too much about details that are minor or not important
pettifogging lawyers
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogging
Adjective
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And when detecting the artist approaching flow, the device would emit a subtle cue — a slight change in the sound of their instrument or the lighting — to give the brain a subconscious boost and thereby accelerate and enhance one’s immersion into flow.—
Brandon Sneed,
Rolling Stone,
6 July 2025 -
Similarly, Morning Consult's June 27 to 29 poll found 47 percent of respondents approved of Trump's job performance, with 50 percent disapproving—a slight improvement from May's 45 percent approval and 53 percent disapproval.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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The Moon is opposite Mercury in your sign, and this can trigger petty squabbles.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
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We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore.—
Rob Day,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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One nautical mile west of Santorini, opposite the village of Oia and the caldera, lies the tiny island of Therasia, accessible via boat departing from Ammoudi Bay.—
Monica Mendal,
Vogue,
15 July 2025
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The film community of Vancouver Island is tiny compared to the City of Vancouver’s Hollywood North hub.—
Jennie Punter,
Variety,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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This is a minute calculation that’s so small as to feel imperceptible and likely happens without much thought at all.—
Megan C. Reynolds,
Time,
27 June 2025
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Festival organizers respected the lineup’s schedule, with set changes taking place with minute precision and without interruption.—
Billboard Italy,
Billboard,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Frankly, the more trifling the crime, the better this franchise’s comedy aspirations would work.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 May 2010
Adjective
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Abandoning a cash cow for an unproven idea is not a trivial undertaking.—
Zain Jaffer,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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Barbie; Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning; and F1: The Movie are intentionally trivial.—
Armond White,
National Review,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Map out revenue producing divisions by their profit and loss numbers, evaluate direct margins for the division, identify the weakest division that perpetually makes little or no direct margin and sacrifice them.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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But most of the middle part is missing, and there’s little to explain how the event unfolded from one stage to the next.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.—
Star Tribune,
Star Tribune,
3 Dec. 2020
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Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, while hiring remains piddling.—
Patricia Cohen,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2020
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“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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