nitpicked; nitpicking; nitpicks
: to engage in nit-picking
: to criticize by nit-picking
… warns her lawyers not to nitpick on relatively simple matters.—
Deborah L. Jacobs
Deborah L. Jacobs
Examples of nitpick in a Sentence
her husband nitpicks about everything: from how she puts the plates away to how she files the bills
Recent Examples on the Web
Was there really anything to nitpick in this thing?
—oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023
According to Tan, these types of nitpicking reactions to public discourse could fan the flames of distrust and resentment.
—Time, 2 Aug. 2023
Virgo August 23-September 22 Someone might be nitpicking you.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2023
Finding fault with his play feels like nitpicking, with the biggest strike against him being the concern of how early a team can reasonably draft even the most impressive running back prospect given the abundance of alternatives available later in the draft.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2023
But frankly, Houston still isn't in position to nitpick flaws that should be alleviated over time.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 17 May 2023
Men:5 things to know about Miami, including a Lawrence Central grad Women:5 things to know about Miami, including the Cavinder twins Bloomington is bigger than Miami There's some semantics and nitpicking going on here.
—Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Mar. 2023
Aside from the slight charging hassle, there’s not much to nitpick.
—Hunter Fenollol, Popular Mechanics, 23 Mar. 2023
Seehorn’s Erin, meanwhile, at first is almost a villain, nitpicking every word her husband says, not bothering to hide her disdain.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Feb. 2023
See More
oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023
According to Tan, these types of nitpicking reactions to public discourse could fan the flames of distrust and resentment.
—Time, 2 Aug. 2023
Virgo August 23-September 22 Someone might be nitpicking you.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2023
Finding fault with his play feels like nitpicking, with the biggest strike against him being the concern of how early a team can reasonably draft even the most impressive running back prospect given the abundance of alternatives available later in the draft.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2023
But frankly, Houston still isn't in position to nitpick flaws that should be alleviated over time.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 17 May 2023
Men:5 things to know about Miami, including a Lawrence Central grad Women:5 things to know about Miami, including the Cavinder twins Bloomington is bigger than Miami There's some semantics and nitpicking going on here.
—Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Mar. 2023
Aside from the slight charging hassle, there’s not much to nitpick.
—Hunter Fenollol, Popular Mechanics, 23 Mar. 2023
Seehorn’s Erin, meanwhile, at first is almost a villain, nitpicking every word her husband says, not bothering to hide her disdain.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Feb. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nitpick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
back-formation from nit-picking
First Known Use
1956, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near nitpick
Cite this Entry
“Nitpick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitpick. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
nitpick
verb
nit·pick
ˈnit-ˌpik 
: to criticize for tiny faults that are usually of little importance
nitpicker
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share