finicky

adjective

fin·​icky ˈfi-ni-kē 

1

: extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or standards

a finicky eater

My teacher is finicky about spelling.

2

: requiring much care, precision, or attentive effort

a finicky recipe

… growing the finicky Pinot Noir grape …

—Kim Marcus

finickiness noun

Did you know?

If you’re a reader of a certain age (say, a Boomer, Gen Xer, or even a Xennial), you may remember cheeky television commercials featuring Morris, a finicky housecat who only eats a certain brand of cat food. (Morris is still featured on product labels.) Morris's tastes in cuisine are not only very particular, but very fine as well, and that's appropriate given the origin of finicky. The word came about as an alteration of finicking, itself an alteration of another adjective, finical. It's believed that finical derives from the adjective fine.

Synonyms

• choosy
• choosey
• dainty
• delicate
• demanding
• exacting
• fastidious
• finical
• finicking
• fussbudgety
• fussy
• nice
• old-maidish
• particular
• pernickety [chiefly British]
• persnickety
• picky

Examples of finicky in a Sentence

My teacher is finicky about grammar.

a complicated and finicky recipe

Recent Examples on the Web

Made on a budget of $400,000, the independent film went on to earn $44 million in theaters and has grown into a comedy classic, thanks to its quirky characters, quotable dialogue and a finicky llama named Tina. —Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 12 June 2024

The sticking point is that, unlike forgiving chicken legs and roots, which have a relatively wide window of doneness, shrimp and zucchini can be finicky. —Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2024

Cobbler comes together easily with a quick mix, while making a pie (specifically the pie crust) can be a bit more finicky. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 4 June 2024

Also worth noting: With all of these pouches, FaceID can be a bit finicky, so be prepared to enter your lock code in manually. —Madison Flager, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

alteration of finicking

First Known Use

circa 1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

finicky

adjective

fin·​icky ˈfin-i-kē 

: very hard to please : fussy

a finicky eater

finickiness noun