Pettiness
Etymology
From "petty," an anglicization of French "petit" (small). The purely physical sense of smallness narrowed, in English, into a moral one: a mind that treats trifles as though they mattered greatly.
noun · /PET-ee-nis/
An undue concern with trivial slights, grievances, or advantages.
What it names
Names smallness of spirit — the energy spent on things too minor to deserve it.
Example
The feud reached a new pettiness when he began labeling his shelf in the shared fridge.
Related idea
Spite aims to wound; pettiness merely fixates on the trivial. The petty person keeps score of small things; the spiteful person acts on the score at their own expense.
See also