Test Your Vocabulary

Take Our 10-Question Quiz

Name That Thing

Take our visual vocab quiz

Test Your Knowledge »

True or False?

A quick quiz about stuff worth knowing

Take It Now »

Join Us on FB & Twitter

Get the Word of the Day and More

Facebook | Twitter

hairsplitter


hair·split·ter

noun \ˈher-ˌspli-tər\

Definition of HAIRSPLITTER

: one that makes excessively fine distinctions in reasoning
hair·split·ting \-ˌspli-tiŋ\ adjective or noun

First Known Use of HAIRSPLITTER

1849

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: hair spray
Previous Word in the Dictionary: hairspace
All Words Near: hairsplitter

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up hairsplitter? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).