PICKY Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

picky

adjective

ˈpi-kē

Definition of picky

as in choosy

hard to please a picky cat who would only eat one particular kind of food, and only if it was served in his special dish

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in selective

tending to select carefully she's picky, but she always finds the best quality in fresh meat and fish

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 picky An unintended consequence of my career as a beauty editor is that my sisters have become very picky skin care experts in their own right. — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 14 July 2026 Because of her flat feet, my mom is picky about ballet flats—but the supportive straps on this pair caught her attention immediately. — Paris Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2026 For picky kids, freeze fruit juice or smoothies into ice pops. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026 McLaughlin admits that years of parenting picky eaters helped inspire the central idea behind the project. — Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for picky

Recent Examples of Synonyms for picky

Adjective

Being choosy about that content is key.

— Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
The unique flavors are enough to impress even the choosiest casserole connoisseur.

— Emma Ashe, Southern Living, 15 May 2026

Definition of choosy

Adjective

Yet by selectivity, Ozarks ranks as the tenth most selective baccalaureate college in the country — outpacing schools with far larger endowments and far louder name recognition.

— Scott White, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Public and private schools can’t be compared because private schools are not required to take standard tests that measure both students and schools, and private schools are allowed to be selective in their student body.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of selective

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

South Korea’s finance minister has apologized for launching the riskier products without careful consideration.

— Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Regulators have been careful to note that the action targets concentrated and synthetic products, not natural leaf containing trace amounts.

— Jesse M. Pines, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of careful

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

The team then turned to an open-source model developed in China, which was less persnickety.

— Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Imagine creating a new standard of hypersensitive caution about attracting even the most persnickety media criticism, and then applying it for the first time to your son’s wedding.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026

Definition of persnickety

Browse Nearby Words

pickups

picky

picnic

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Picky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picky. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of picky

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on picky

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

salvo

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes