small-time

adjective

Definition of small-timenext
as in petty

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of small-time Popham, a drifter, small-time criminal, and frequent drug user, lived with the Bunyard family intermittently. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026 There may not be quite as many small-time sailors in the harbor this time, owing to the rigidity that has become inevitable since the 9/11 attacks, but plenty of weekend captains will make their way here. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 30 June 2026 Zhang, delivering his first fully Cantonese-language performance on the big screen, portrays a repressed small-time man caught between competing versions of reality. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 June 2026 With all that activity, small-time Helsinki took off, becoming a boomtown in support of the grand strategic fort. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for small-time
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small-time
  1. petty
  2. worthless
  3. nickel-and-dime
  4. one-horse
Adjective
  • And yet the office—its smells and politics, its grievances petty, existential, or edifying—must have made an impression.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Look no further for a wake up call than these three actors representing House Hightower, powerful and imposing in their own right, but just as catty and petty as the Lannisters at the end of the day.
    — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • In League Two, tweaks to SCMP were largely thrown out because they were seen as worthless.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And since Jace’s death, she’s treated Baela as nothing more than a defective surveillance drone — a worthless piece of tech that never spots Vhagar.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of worthless
Adjective
  • So, yes, Mercedes is not afraid to nickel-and-dime anyone with their compact sedan.
    — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 11 June 2026
  • Full-service hotels like Marriott and InterContinental still offer a more inclusive experience, and international airlines like Qatar Airways don't nickel-and-dime you for luggage.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Definition of nickel-and-dime
Adjective
  • And while this has now become a one-horse race, with that proposal carrying the day heading into a May 28 vote at the league’s next Board of Governors meeting, there are still more discussions — and possible changes — to come.
    — Sam Amick, New York Times, 5 May 2026
  • McCarthy moved to his current studio in 2012, and around then, bought land out in the Tehachapi Mountains to serve as Wild West backdrops, not unlike the early film studios buying up tumbleweed stables in Topanga to serve as facsimiles of one-horse towns to shoot westerns.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of one-horse

Browse Nearby Words

small talk
small-time
small-timer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Small-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small-time. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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