petty vs slight

petty

adj
  • Having little or no importance. 

  • Of or relating to the lowest grade or level of school; junior, primary. 

  • Little or small in size. 

  • Of persons or their behaviour: marked by or reflective of undesirably limited interests, sympathies, or views; begrudging, selfish, small-minded; also, preoccupied with subjects having little or no importance and not mindful of broader concerns. 

  • Secondary in importance or rank; minor, subordinate. 

noun
  • An outbuilding used as a lavatory; an outhouse, a privy. 

  • A class or school for young schoolboys. 

slight

adj
  • trifling; unimportant; insignificant 

  • still; with little or no movement on the surface 

  • Even, smooth or level 

  • not far away in space or time 

  • of slender build 

  • gentle or weak, not aggressive or powerful 

  • not thorough; superficial 

verb
  • To act negligently or carelessly. 

  • To treat with disdain or neglect, usually out of prejudice, hatred, or jealousy; to ignore disrespectfully. 

  • To treat as unimportant or not worthy of attention; to make light of. 

  • To render no longer defensible by full or partial demolition. 

  • To give lesser weight or importance to. 

  • To throw heedlessly. 

noun
  • The act of ignoring or snubbing; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy. 

How often have the words petty and slight occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )