petty

petty, trivial

这两个形容词均含“琐细的，不重要的”之意。
petty: 指在同类中是最小最微不足道的人或事物。
trivial: 指无特别价值或重要意义的普通小事。

名词 petty:

1. larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale)
   同义词：petit larceny, petty larceny

形容词 petty:

1. inferior in rank or status
   同义词：junior-grade, inferior, lower-ranking, lowly, secondary, subaltern, subordinate
2. (informal) small and of little importance
   同义词：fiddling, footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, piddling, piffling, picayune, trivial
3. contemptibly narrow in outlook
   同义词：small-minded

1. The paymasters of these petty crooks are the big crime syndicates.
   操纵这帮小流氓的就是那个大犯罪集团。
2. She grew tired of his petty jealousies.
   她越来越讨厌他那种心胸狭窄的忌妒行为。
3. I hate being fettered by petty rules and regulations.
   我讨厌受清规戒律的束缚。
4. She had been pilfering from the petty cash for months.
   她多月来一直从零用现金中偷钱。
5. My life is hedged about with petty regulations.
   我的生活受到一些琐细的条条框框的限制。
6. In his short life he had run the entire gamut of crime, from petty theft to murder.
   他在短短的一生中，从小偷小摸到杀人，什麽罪都犯过。
7. The party split into petty factions.
   该党分裂成若干小派系。
8. She is very petty at times.
   她有时很小心眼。

pet.ty

adj.（形容词）
pet.ti.er,pet.ti.est
Of small importance; trivial:
微不足道的；琐细的：
例句：
a petty grievance.
微不足道的牢骚

Marked by narrowness of mind, ideas, or views.
见识短浅的；偏狭的：以思想、观念或观点狭隘为特征的
Marked by meanness or lack of generosity, especially in trifling matters.
卑劣的：以自私或缺少宽容为特征的，尤其指在小事上
Secondary in importance or rank; subordinate.See Synonyms at trivial
次级的，低微下的：重要性或等级位于第二的；次级的参见 trivial
Law Variant of petit
【法律】 petit的变体

来源：
Middle English peti
中古英语 peti
from Old French
源自 古法语
variant of petit * see petit
petit的变体 *参见 petit

【引伸】
pet.tily
adv.（副词）
pet.tiness
n.（名词）