pedant

noun

ped·​ant ˈpe-dᵊnt 

1

disapproving

a

: one who is unimaginative, rigid, or overly concerned with minor details in the presentation or use of knowledge

sometimes, specifically : a person who adheres strictly to formal rules in teaching

The great musicians of the past were not pedants and formalists …

—Irving Babbitt

b

: one who makes a show of knowledge

2

obsolete : a male schoolteacher

Examples of pedant in a Sentence

All too often, science fiction provokes the pedant in professional scientists, for whom a beautiful story can be ruined by a single petty error. —Jerry A. Coyne, New York Times Book Review, 10 Oct. 1999

A controversialist, crusty, critical, arrogant, a pedant, he was attacked by his contemporaries for sacrilege, impudence, temerity and presumption—among other imperfections. —Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996

This pioneer of the Age of the Sea, who deserves fame as an opener of the modern mind, has been caught in the cross fire of chauvinists, pedants, and ignorant but enthusiastic men of letters. —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983

A zealous pedant, Flaubert defended the accuracy of his historical novels with wearisome tenacity, as if accuracy could compensate for their lack of lived experience. —James Atlas, New York Times Book Review, 17 Oct. 1982

Recent Examples on the Web

My son, learn music but don’t be a pedant in it. — Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

As botanists and pedants will tell you, figs are technically a flower, not a fruit. — Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Sep. 2025

Rarely is there much conceptual overlap between the categories of pedant and genius. — Clare Bucknell, The New York Review of Books, 27 June 2026

True, big global history is not for pedants and must be selective to remain accessible. — Walter Scheidel, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Italian pedante

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

pedant

noun

ped·​ant ˈped-ᵊnt 

1

: a person who shows off his or her learning

2

: a dull and overly exact teacher

pedantic

pi-ˈdant-ik

adjective

pedantically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb