as in slight
old-fashioned
worrying too much about details that are minor or not important
pettifogging lawyers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogging
Adjective
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It’s made from a breathable cotton blend for body-skimming stretch, and there’s a keyhole detail in the back, plus a slight puff sleeve for some extra style points.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
25 Apr. 2025 -
Not when your opponent is spending its each and every waking moment scouring film for even the slightest advantage.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Mixed in with small pleasures and petty disputes with her older sister are true feats of survival and bravery.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
2 May 2025
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Baffert had long operated under a cloud of suspicion inside and outside of racing, thanks in part to his larger-than-life public persona and his utter domination of the competition on the racetrack – not to mention a series of other petty drug infractions in big races leading up to the 2021 Derby.—
Katie Bo Lillis,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
Buffett has owned tiny stakes in sports franchises during his career.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
4 May 2025
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Dunedin One of our South's Best Beach Towns in 2022, this tiny town located across the bay from Tampa surprises with plenty to see and do--plus eat and drink!—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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At the best of times, coordinating controls is a lengthy process, requiring consensus on both the overall strategic approach and minute technical details.—
Nikita Lalwani,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Apr. 2025
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While the whole collection starts at 1,150 euros for a slimline bracelet with a minute buckle motif and goes up to over a million euros for its high jewelry designs, most of its models currently sit in the low four-figure range.—
Lily Templeton,
WWD,
14 Mar. 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
-
Philosophers are in a unique place to solve this riddle as current events are largely trivial in their work.—
Theodore McDarrah,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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It may be generally dismissed as trivial, but Bernstein conducted it with characterful nostalgia and Dudamel has found in it vibrant new spirit.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Tesla is all over the news these days but little of it is positive after the company posted its worst results in four years in the first quarter.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
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His use of a century’s old wartime law to deport undocumented migrants with little or no due process to a notorious prison in El Salvador under scrutiny after the administration deported at least one migrant there by mistake.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 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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Cite this Entry
“Pettifogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogging. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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