- the quality or condition of being of little, lesser, or no importance, consequence, or merit; insignificance: The economic cost of these wildfires pales into pettiness when compared to the real victims—the wildlife and the natural landscape.The film is a comedy about the boredom, pettiness, and general strangeness of working in an office, as the protagonists spend their days plotting a way out of their dull and meaningless jobs.
- the quality or condition of having or expressing limited ideas, interests, etc.; narrow-mindedness:The novel is set against a background of small-town deceit and pettiness.
- the quality or condition of being unkind, stingy, or ungenerous, especially in small or trifling things; meanspiritedness:Their pettiness is perhaps best demonstrated by the threatened removal of an assortment of services provided to residents—things like fresh fruit, free coffee, and a monthly outing.
