nitpicky

adjective

as in picky

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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 nitpicky There are those who hate offside review and thought this was another example of a nitpicky replay taking a perfectly valid goal off the board. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 16 June 2026 Rice cleaners are pedantic and nitpicky. — Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2026 Brown said Powell could be nitpicky. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026 People might be critical or nitpicky. — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025 Readers will enjoy the narrator’s descriptions of his famously nitpicky job. — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpicky
  1. picky
  2. finicky
  3. fastidious
  4. fussy
  5. finical
  6. particular
  7. exacting
  8. discerning
Adjective
  • Queen conchs are picky about their habitats Queen conchs are large marine gastropods, and can be found throughout the Caribbean Sea, around Bermuda and in the Florida Keys.
    — Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 31 July 2026
  • Diners can eat outside picnic-style or take their meal to go, but either way, get ready for a satisfying option for even the pickiest of pallets.
    — Gabi De la Rosa, Southern Living, 28 July 2026
Definition of picky
Adjective
  • While Michael King struggled to finish off finicky and plucky Diamondbacks hitters, the real issue and the real worry was on the other side of the ball.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • With about 1,200 total producers in Barolo and 425 in Barbaresco—both of which make wine using the finicky Nebbiolo grape—very few grow grapes and make wine in both appellations.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of finicky
Adjective
  • Universal's Potter lands at its resorts in Orlando, Hollywood, Beijing and Osaka are famous for their fastidious attention to detail.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • One of the most beautiful women in the world during her lifetime, the former Princess of Wales was fastidious about getting her sleep.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 21 July 2026
Definition of fastidious
Adjective
  • It’s packed with hyaluronic acid to instantly plump and hydrate your complexion without a fussy application process.
    — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
  • She’s known to take any fussy baby and calm them down immediately.
    — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of fussy
Adjective
  • The finical, fanatical, reciprocal chiselling of mind and matter.
    — Christian Wiman, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021
Definition of finical
Adjective
  • That protected those particular areas from ordinary floods, but the team claims, removed much of the river system’s overflow capacity.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026
  • In a project narrative letter, developers point out that different zoning districts are allowed within a particular comprehensive-plan designation, like the low-density residential area.
    — Rose Evans August 9, Idaho Statesman, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of particular
Adjective
  • Every place on this list has been vetted and endorsed, again and again, by the world’s most exacting travelers.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026
  • Loathe have always been committed to self-production (their 2017 debut is their only album that credits an outside co-producer), but A Stranger to You begs for more exacting supervision.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of exacting
Adjective
  • As shoppers become more discerning, retailers are becoming more selective about what earns shelf space.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 21 July 2026
  • For the most discerning mixologist, only pure, flavorless, slow-melting ice will do.
    — Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Definition of discerning

Browse Nearby Words

nitpicks
nitpicky
nits
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Cite this Entry

“Nitpicky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpicky. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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