petty argument
Trivial verbal clash
A petty argument is a dispute over something trivial or unimportant—the kind of squabble that, from the outside, seems hardly worth the energy: They had a petty argument about whose turn it was to take out the trash.
The phrase often carries judgment, implying the participants should have let it go.
- squabbleTrivial noisy argument
- bickeringPetty verbal sparring
- war of wordsProlonged public argument
- tiffMinor interpersonal dispute
- spatPetty verbal dispute
quarrel · storm in a teacup · nitpicking · hair splitting · snipe · grudge · sore spot · trivial · childish · making a scene · stubborn · huffy · sulking · hurt feelings · nagging · quibble · fuss · snit