1
as in finicky
hard to please
as she got older, she got more and more persnickety
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
lacked the patience to deal with such persnickety tasks as hanging wallpaper
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aristocratic
being or characteristic of a person who has an offensive air of superiority and tends to ignore or disdain anyone regarded as inferior
his persnickety attitude lost him some friends when they found out what he really thinks of "their kind"
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Recent Examples of persnickety
But Wilson is in his comfort zone as ever with Anderson, playing Francis’s persnickety dedication to the trip’s itinerary with his typical generosity.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
What would the notoriously persnickety Corbitt say about those bold additions?
—Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 17 May 2025
Kurkdjian’s policies as head of the department reflect both a persnickety attention to detail and an obsession with creative autonomy.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
Others are patently unsuitable, notably a persnickety couple who prompt one of John’s rare outbursts of frustration with the process.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
All are notoriously persnickety when evaluating food prepared by the contestants, and the bar for excellence rises as the season progresses.
—Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
What would the notoriously persnickety Corbitt say about those bold additions?
—Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 17 May 2025
Kurkdjian’s policies as head of the department reflect both a persnickety attention to detail and an obsession with creative autonomy.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
Others are patently unsuitable, notably a persnickety couple who prompt one of John’s rare outbursts of frustration with the process.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
All are notoriously persnickety when evaluating food prepared by the contestants, and the bar for excellence rises as the season progresses.
—Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persnickety
Adjective
-
Arabica is a notoriously finicky crop.—
Alex Mayyasi,
Saveur,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Natural dyes tend to be costlier and more finicky, less stable.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
To be sure, the last few years have been more challenging, with Gucci rapidly losing momentum — and Kering’s debt load swelling after an acquisition spree that included Creed, Maui Jim, a 30 percent stake in Valentino, and large chunks of prime real estate.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Ultimately, gig engineering is becoming an attractive but challenging path.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
When Coverley and the girls returned to England, in 1969, Lucian arranged for Bella to spend time with some aristocratic hippies who travelled around southern England in caravans.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
While its aristocratic history may be a thing of the past, the hotel (along with its grounds) does still exude the stately, elegant aura of a noble mansion.—
Erica Wertheim Zohar,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But Eliasen is careful not to let scope creep derail initial implementations.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Ncell, Nepal’s second-largest telecommunications service provider, noted that shutting down all platforms at once was, in any case, technically difficult and warned that the move would severely impact business.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Last summer, after years of hip problems and some difficult surgeries to address them, Jill had an operation that went poorly.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Zane played the arrogant Cal Hockley, who was engaged to Jack's love interest, Rose (played by Kate Winslet).—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Hardly seems like enough to cow these arrogant companies into behaving, especially when their business model is so intrinsically tied to hoovering up other people’s information and creative work.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Moyes takes his time assessing and signing off on targets and is notoriously picky.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
My youngest son's the pickiest.—
Erin Clements,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bassini has observed the circuit of influencers and hopefuls who try a more demanding don’t-you-know-who-I-am approach, only to see them get turned away unceremoniously each time.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, six Black women have journeyed to outer space as astronauts, a job that is equally demanding and risky and for which the odds of being selected are very low.—
Gena Cox,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persnickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persnickety. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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