Meaning & use
complain pettily
Last updated
Meaning
verbintransitivedisapproving
To express annoyance about small, unimportant things in a way that seems unreasonable.
Grammar: Intransitive: you complain pettily about something. 'Pettily' is an adverb describing how the complaining is done.
Patterns
- complain pettily about something
- complain pettily to someone
He complained pettily about the temperature of the coffee for ten minutes.
She complained pettily that her colleague had used her pen without asking.
Stop complaining pettily about tiny mistakes and focus on the real problem.
Word forms
| third person singular | complains pettily |
|---|---|
| past tense | complained pettily |
| past participle | complained pettily |
| -ing form | complaining pettily |
Common combinations
- complain pettily about
- The guests complained pettily about the lack of fresh flowers.
- complain pettily to
- He complained pettily to the manager about the noise from the kitchen.
- complain pettily that
- She complained pettily that no one had thanked her for the cake.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nag
- Nag means to complain repeatedly in an annoying way; complain pettily focuses on the smallness of the complaint.
- whine
- Whine suggests a high, sad sound and is often used for children; complain pettily is more about the unimportant nature of the complaint.
- nitpick
- Nitpick means to criticize small details; complain pettily is about expressing annoyance, not necessarily criticizing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: complain pettily or complain bitterly?
complain pettily vs complain bitterly
'Complain bitterly' means to complain with strong, angry emotion; 'complain pettily' means to complain about small things in an annoying way.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'complain pettily' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Complain pettily' means to complain about something small and unimportant. Option 0 fits because the weather was actually fine. Option 1 is wrong because losing millions is a serious matter, not petty. Option 2 is wrong because safety problems are serious. Option 3 is wrong because a delicious meal is not something to complain about.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “complain pettily”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.