adjective

picayune

pik-uh-YOON/ˌpɪkəˈjuːn/

Too small or unimportant to deserve attention.

She dismisses the chair's picayune scratch.

A young woman casually dismisses a tiny cosmetic scratch on an otherwise sound wooden chair and pulls it out to sit, treating the flaw as too trivial to matter.
Etymology

A small-value coin became a figure for things too paltry to deserve attention.

More examples

  • They argue over picayune details.
  • The delay is picayune compared with the larger problem.

Forms

picayune

Similar words

trivial
Small in importance or consequence.
petty
Often adds a judgment of small-mindedness.