petty
Small and unimportant, or mean about little things.
petty in a sentence
- Their petty argument about who pressed the lift button first lasted the whole journey.
- Stop being petty about who got one more chip; there is a whole bowl left.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to petty?
- Amajor
- Bimportant
- Cserious
- Dsmall
Show the answer
D: small. The other three mean the opposite of petty.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to petty?
- Aimportant
- Bminor
- Csmall
- Dsilly
Show the answer
A: important. The other three mean nearly the same as petty.
Words that mean something similar
small, minor, silly
Words that mean the opposite
important, major, serious
More words about character & personality
- pioneer: Someone who is one of the first to explore a place or try something new.
- placid: Calm and not easily upset or excited.
- pluck: The courage to do something scary.
- poised: Calm, steady and ready to act.
- pompous: Acting too grand and important.
- prudent: Careful and sensible, thinking ahead before you act.
- quirky: Unusual in an interesting or charming way.
- rascal: A cheeky person who behaves badly in a playful way.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test