finicky

adjective fin·icky \ ˈfi-ni-kē \

Definition of finicky

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

See finicky defined for English-language learners

See finicky defined for kids

finicky was our Word of the Day on 09/02/2011. Hear the podcast!

Examples of finicky in a Sentence

My teacher is finicky about grammar.
a complicated and finicky recipe

Recent Examples of finicky from the Web

There are new marketing efforts, a fleet of finicky snowmobiles to maintain, land-use permits to negotiate, bookings to secure and the logistics of running an off-grid business.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Scottish Lakes camp gets new owners, new name and year-round opening," 19 July 2017
X-Rays came back negative, meaning the shortstop is listed as day-to-day, but hand injuries can certainly be finicky.

— connor grossman, SI.com, "Starting Nine: Chris Sale whiffs another dozen, proves he can outpitch Jon Jay," 7 July 2017
But the thing is finicky, clicking off devices that crave more than 45 watts and sometimes tolerating less.

— jonathan takiff, Philly.com, "Zero Water, SmithOptics and myrocknrolla.com have cool gadgets for summer," 6 July 2017
Southern-style barbecue is showing up in restaurants from China to finicky France.

— patrik jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ambassadors of smoke," 2 July 2017
Fitness tracking and wearables firm Fitbit has had a tough go in the past year, grappling with a finicky customer base and a crowded competitive landscape.

— Fortune, "Brainstorm Health Daily: June 22, 2017," 22 June 2017
Sure, there are easier, less finicky sunscreens to wear, but none as protective or as matte.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "The Best Sunscreen for Oily Skin Is Also Pretty Cheap," 19 June 2017
Scientists were using one of the first computers, a finicky, 150-foot machine called ENIAC that had been developed during the recent World War.

— sarah witman, Smithsonian, "Meet the Computer Scientist You Should Thank For Your Smartphone’s Weather App," 17 June 2017
Oblique injuries can be finicky, and premature returns can result in extensive time missed.

— eduardo a. encina, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles prepared to be without Chris Davis until after the All-Star break," 17 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'finicky.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

You may be familiar with an advertising campaign featuring Morris, the "finicky" housecat who would only eat a certain brand of cat food. 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." "Finicking" also gives us "finick," a somewhat rare verb meaning "to put on airs" or "to dawdle about."