pedantic

adjective

pe·​dan·​tic pi-ˈdan-tik 

1

disapproving : of, relating to, or being a pedant (as in being overly concerned with minor details)

a pedantic teacher/approach

… pedantic grading rubrics and exams …

—C. Brandon Ogbunu

… if we're going to be exactingly correct and pedantic, I'd point out that there's no such thing …

—Alasdair Wilkins

2

disapproving : narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously scholarly

Far worse, he was pedantic, pernickety, letting nothing inaccurate or of uncertain meaning go by—not an aphrodisiac quality.

—Kingsley Amis

… writes in a … pedantic style likely to drive away the general reader.

—Jay Freeman

He was a narrow, pedantic, clever, envious man, too proud of his knowledge and his insights.

—Sir Isaiah Berlin, quoted in The American Scholar

3

disapproving : unimaginative, dull

Pedantic song choices don't help any. Only 2 out of 10 songs stray from the most common classic-rock fodder.

—Jim Farber

There is a reason books about architecture are not more popular; most of them are dull, pedantic, just plain bad.

—Hugo Lindgren

pedantically

pi-ˈdan-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

pedantically pointing out errors

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between pedantic and didactic?

The word didactic generally means "designed to teach," but it is often used in a negative way to describe boring or annoying lessons, or the people who teach them. While didactic can have a neutral meaning, pedantic is almost always an insult. It typically describes an irritating person who is eager to correct small errors others make, or who wants everyone to know just how much of an expert they are, especially in some narrow or boring subject matter.

Is pedantic an insult?

Pedantic is an insulting word used to describe someone who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details, or emphasizing their own expertise especially in some narrow or boring subject matter.

What is an example of pedantic?

A pedantic person may do lots of annoying things, such as point out minor errors, correct people who make small mistakes, and brag about their own knowledge and expertise.

Examples of pedantic in a Sentence

It may seem pedantic to harp on what looks like mere procedure, but this is one case where the process is the forest. —Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker, 29 May 2000

Yet not since Kenneth Roberts has anyone written of early New England life in such vivid and convincing detail. (The minor inaccuracies will stir only the pedantic.) —Annie Proulx, New York Times Book Review, 28 Apr. 1991

What I'm objecting to is that picture books are judged from a particular, pedantic point of view vis-à-vis their relation to children—and I insist that a picture book is much more. —Maurice Sendak, Caldecott & Co., 1988

She is looking for the will, or for the diary; always looking for herself in history, the self the pious, pedantic Tolstoyans would disinherit and deny. —Elizabeth Hardwick, Bartleby in Manhattan and Other Essays, (1962) 1984

Recent Examples on the Web

The pedantic director meticulously oversaw the entire construction, from perfecting the lighting in each apartment to testing the complex drainage system that collected the fake rain. —Nathan Smith, Architectural Digest, 9 Oct. 2025

Instead of focusing on the defense industrial base, the upcoming national defense strategy, or preparing to face threats across the Indo-Pacific and Europe, Hegseth talked about fitness tests and haircuts, coming across as pedantic for a room of seasoned commanders, the staffer said. —Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025

Greengrass uses the scene where the bus becomes stationary as an example of conveying feelings without being pedantic. —Tomris Laffly, Time, 6 Sep. 2025

Jesse makes a big point of that, because Jesse is a bit on the pedantic side. —Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

see pedant

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pedantic

• atlantic
• gigantic
• romantic
• semantic
• vedantic
• antic
• frantic
• transatlantic
• unromantic

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