The Pettiest Thing Each Zodiac Sign Does
Oh, that's cold.
getty We all have moments of pettiness. You know those times when you want to clap back but you don’t want to be mean? When you’re petty, it’s more passive-aggressive and slightly rude than being straight-up evil.
The degree and type of pettiness we engage in has a lot to do with our personalities, determined by astrology. And depending on your zodiac sign, your petty behavior says a lot about you.
Pettiness is defined as caring too much about small, unimportant things and being unnecessarily unkind. Assault or stealing someone's car aren’t petty, but deliberately eating someone’s lunch at the office is.
Sometimes you may want to indulge your petty side, but it’s not a good idea to do so all the time. The pettier you are, the easier it gets to be nasty, and no one wants to be associated with a jerk.
Some people enjoy being petty because it makes them feel powerful and have control over someone’s day. But in the end, when you do enough of these kinds of behaviors, you start to lose a bit of your humanity.
ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
Aries aren't super petty; if they're upset about something, they're more likely to come out and say something to you, face to face, than do something sneaky and mean. However, there are times when they can feel put out and may forget they invited you to a party and go without you.
When you ask them about it, they'll say they just forgot or that it wasn't anything personal. The truth is, somewhere along the line you pissed them off, so as a small payback they gave their extra VIP concert ticket to someone else.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus can be occasionally petty, but their pettiness is usually pretty harmless, like not sharing their fries or making you clean their dishes. They are stubborn though, so if they set their mind to annoy you, they'll put their all into it.
What no one wants or enjoys is when Taurus' pettiness morphs into something more negative, and they get so upset that they stop talking to the person who caused their emotional distress.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
Geminis are also not that petty. They can hide their pettiness so it's not obvious. You know the kind of person who says that everything is fine when underneath their pleasant facade they're seething? Geminis can be fake and not even let others know there's a problem.
Geminis will express to other people what's going on with them, and it will help them to feel better, especially if they include bad-mouthing the person who caused their distress in the first place.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
Cancers are very sensitive and don't always know the best way to handle their emotions, which can cause them to be petty. Cancers will usually strike out via social media and do a big unfollow, snooze, and hide.
They probably won't go as far as deleting people (they may need access to that person's page at some point), but they will remove the offender from their feed. If Cancer gets even more upset, one can expect a barrage of comments, DMs, and vague but obvious stories about someone who betrayed them.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)
If a Leo is annoyed or can't let something go, they can be petty. One of the petty things they do is also a power move where they deliberately act as if they don't remember someone's name.
This puts the other person at a disadvantage and may make them feel like they're not memorable enough. This is Leo's way of slapping someone on the wrist and saying, "Don't get too confident, especially if it's at my expense."
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
Virgos are smart and kind people, but they have a petty side. They know exactly what to do that will feel like a sting but won't cause too much damage.
An example of Virgo's pettiness is returning all the things their friend had at Virgo's place. It's not that they're not friends anymore, but it's a way to demonstrate how quickly things can change. And if they care about Virgo, they need to be careful and not do upsetting things.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
Libras have a petty behavior or two. If someone does something wrong or negative and it has a direct effect on Libra, they will allow that incident to color all contact Libra has with that person.
If they are on the outs with someone, Libra will have a party or social event and won't invite them, but will make sure the person knows all about the fabulous soiree they weren't invited to.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)
Pettiness can be a stepping-stone for revenge, so Scorpio can be petty. Scorpio will try to catch somebody in a lie, and when they do, they will use it against the person.
There are times when Scorpio will set up a whole sting operation just to catch someone lying or cheating. This zodiac sign can sometimes be too petty to forgive or give someone a second chance. Scorpios are hardcore when it comes to teaching someone a lesson.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarius can be petty, especially if they think they've been taken advantage of or somehow dissed. They'll fight back with clever wordplay and do things like give backhanded compliments, or say something mean and then say they were only kidding.
It's not unlike Sagittarius to go directly to the front of the line of the ticket counter. They'll have a bunch of excuses as to why they need to be next, but the truth is, they just feel entitled.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
Most of the time, Capricorns are very conscientious and stalwart, but if they feel their job is somehow threatened, they can be petty. A Capricorn will be petty by not giving someone a good recommendation, but not directly giving a bad one.
They'll hint at problems but won't say anything truly damaging. They may say that lateness was a problem and then brush it off as if it wasn't that big a deal.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
Yeah, Aquarius can be petty. It can even seem as if they enjoy it or see it as a small rebellion. The type of pettiness they engage is something like: if someone is waiting for their parking space, Aquarius will get into the car and not start it.
They'll act as if they have no intention of going anywhere until the person waiting drives away; then, Aquarius will go. They may also undertip if they didn't like their service and want to teach their waitperson a lesson.
PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
Pettiness is not a foreign behavior to Pisces. If they get hurt or angry with the world, they can be petty.
For instance, if Pisces is in the elevator, they might deliberately close the door, rather than push the button to keep it open for other people to get in it, or they might cut someone off financially if they didn't do what Pisces wanted. Pisces might be gentle and compassionate, but it's stunning how petty they can be.
Christine Schoenwald is a writer, performer, and astrology lover. She has written over 500 articles on the zodiac signs and how the stars influence us. She's had articles in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Woman's Day, and is a contributing writer to Ravishly, I AM & CO, and YourTango. Check out her website or and her Instagram.