Petty vs Pity - What's the difference?
petty | pity |
Little, small, secondary in rank or importance.
Insignificant, trifling, or inconsiderable.
Narrow-minded, small-minded.
(uncountable) A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
* Bible, Proverbs xix. 17
* Shakespeare
*, Folio Society, 2006, p.5:
(countable) Something regrettable.
* Laurence Sterne
* Addison
(obsolete) piety
To feel pity for (someone or something).
* Bible, Psalms ciii. 13
* 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , IV.11:
* Book of Common Prayer
Short form of what a pity.
As an adjective petty
is little, small, secondary in rank or importance.As a proper noun Petty
is {{surname|lang=en}.As a noun pity is
a feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.As a verb pity is
to feel pity for (someone or something).As an interjection pity is
short form of what a pity.petty
English
(wikipedia petty)Adjective
(en-adj)- Like a petty god I walked about, admired of all.'' (Milton, ''Samson Agonistes , 1671)
- petty officer'', ''petty cash
- a petty fault
Derived terms
* petty cash * petty officer * petty king * pettiness * petty crimeSynonyms
* See alsoSee also
* quibbleExternal links
* *pity
English
Alternative forms
* pitty (obsolete)Noun
- He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.
- Hehas no more pity in him than a dog.
- The most usuall way to appease those minds we have offendedis, by submission to move them to commiseration and pitty .
- It's a pity you're feeling unwell because there's a party on tonight.
- It was a thousand pities .
- What pity is it / That we can die but once to serve our country!
- (Wyclif)
Synonyms
* (mercy) ruth * (something regrettable) shameVerb
(en-verb)- Like as a father pitieth' his children, so the Lord ' pitieth them that fear him.
- She lenger yet is like captiv'd to bee; / That even to thinke thereof it inly pitties mee.
- It pitieth them to see her in the dust.
