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Petty vs Trifle - What's the difference?

petty | trifle |

As an adjective petty

is little, small, secondary in rank or importance.

As a proper noun Petty

is {{surname|lang=en}.

As a noun trifle is

an English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.

As a verb trifle is

to deal with something as if it were of little importance or worth.

petty

English

(wikipedia petty)

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Little, small, secondary in rank or importance.
  • Like a petty god I walked about, admired of all.'' (Milton, ''Samson Agonistes , 1671)
    petty officer'', ''petty cash
  • Insignificant, trifling, or inconsiderable.
  • a petty fault
  • Narrow-minded, small-minded.
  • Derived terms

    * petty cash * petty officer * petty king * pettiness * petty crime

    Synonyms

    * See also

    See also

    * quibble

    trifle

    English

    Noun

  • An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.
  • An insignificant amount.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1928, author=Lawrence R. Bourne
  • , title=Well Tackled! , chapter=17 citation , passage=Commander Birch was a trifle uneasy when he found there was more than a popple on the sea; it was, in fact, distinctly choppy. Strictly speaking, he ought to have been following up the picket–boat, but he was satisfied that the circumstances were sufficiently urgent for him to take risks.}}
  • Anything that is of little importance or worth.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmation strong / As proofs of holy writ.
  • * Drayton
  • with such poor trifles playing
  • A particular kind of pewter.
  • (uncountable) Utensils made from this particular kind of pewter.
  • Synonyms

    See also: . * (insignificant amount) iota, jot, scrap, whit * (thing of little importance or worth) bagatelle, minor detail, whiffle

    Derived terms

    * a trifle

    See also

    * ("trifle" on Wikipedia)

    Verb

    (trifl)
  • To deal with something as if it were of little importance or worth.
  • To act, speak, or otherwise behave with jest.
  • To inconsequentially toy with something.
  • To squander or waste.
  • Anagrams

    * * ----