Search results
- Dictionarypettifogging/ˈpɛtɪfɒɡɪŋ/
adjective
- 1. placing undue emphasis on petty details; petty or trivial: "pettifogging attorneys were the bane of civil society"
Powered by Oxford Dictionaries
noun [ U ] old-fashioned disapproving uk / ˈpet.ɪˌfɒɡ.ɪŋ / us / ˈpet̬.ɪˌfɑː.ɡɪŋ / behaviour that gives too much attention to small details that are not important: Pettifogging is holding up a scheme to build low-cost houses. This is pettifogging at its worst.
Pettifogging people give too much attention to small unimportant details in a way that shows a limited mind: pettifogging lawyers. Pettifogging rules or details are too small and not important enough to give attention to. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Of little or less importance.
a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable : shyster; one given to quibbling over trifles… See the full definition
Pettifogging definition: insignificant; petty. See examples of PETTIFOGGING used in a sentence.
Definition of pettifogging adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
You can describe an action or situation as pettifogging when you think that unnecessary attention is being paid to unimportant, boring details.
You can describe an action or situation as pettifogging when you think that unnecessary attention is being paid to unimportant, boring details.
/ˌpɛdiˈfɔg/ IPA guide. Other forms: pettifogging; pettifogged; pettifogs. To pettifog is to argue over small, unimportant issues. If you and your brother pettifog over who gets to sit in the front seat when your mom offers a ride to school, you may both end up taking the bus instead.
Pettifog definition: to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters.. See examples of PETTIFOG used in a sentence.
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the adjective pettifogging. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
