Petty vs Spite - What's the difference?
petty | spite |
Little, small, secondary in rank or importance.
Insignificant, trifling, or inconsiderable.
Narrow-minded, small-minded.
Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; a desire to vex or injure; petty malice; grudge; rancor.
* Shakespeare
(obsolete) Vexation; chagrin; mortification.
To treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.
(obsolete) To be angry at; to hate.
To fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
As an adjective petty
is little, small, secondary in rank or importance.As a proper noun Petty
is {{surname|lang=en}.As a noun spite is
ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart; a desire to vex or injure; petty malice; grudge; rancor.As a verb spite is
to treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.As a preposition spite is
notwithstanding; despite.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
* *spite
English
Etymology 1
From a shortening of (etyl) despit, from (etyl) despit (whence despite). Compare also Dutch spijt.Noun
(en-noun)- He was so filled with spite for his ex-wife, he could not hold down a job.
- They did it just for spite .
- This is the deadly spite that angers.
- "The time is out of joint: O cursed spite." Shakespeare, Hamlet
Verb
(spit)- She soon married again, to spite her ex-husband.
- The Danes, then pagans, spited places of religion. — Fuller.
- Darius, spited at the Magi, endeavoured to abolish not only their learning, but their language. — Sir. W. Temple.