persnickety

adjective

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per·snick·e·ty | \ pər-ˈsni-kə-tē

Definition of persnickety

1a : fussy about small details : fastidious a persnickety teacher

b : having the characteristics of a snob

2 : requiring great precision a persnickety job

Other Words from persnickety Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about persnickety

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Did You Know?

Persnickety people like things neat and tidy, but the etymology of persnickety doesn't provide the kind of clean, clear explanation that appeals to the fastidious. Persnickety was first documented in English in the late 19th century as an alteration of pernickety, a word that has the same meaning. Pernickety goes back to the early 1800s, but from there, the word's history gets messy. Some say pernickety might be from a child's version of particular; others, that the nick part came from association with knick-knack. Or perhaps the Latin prefix per-, meaning "thoroughly," played a role. But it's all conjecture-no one knows for sure.

Examples of persnickety in a Sentence

as she got older, she got more and more persnickety lacked the patience to deal with such persnickety tasks as hanging wallpaper

Recent Examples on the Web The show, which ended 17 years ago, starred Grammer in the persnickety titular character and was a ratings success during its 11-year run. — Rob Picheta, CNN, "'Frasier' is being rebooted, with Kelsey Grammer reprising the role 17 years after show ended," 25 Feb. 2021 Take those persnickety precision police, who keep hounding us to unmask our meaning. — Gary Gilson, Star Tribune, "New year, new opportunity to communicate clearly," 26 Dec. 2020 This summer offers all the variety even the most persnickety TV fan could want, with returning favorites and new series. — oregonlive.com, "Summer TV 2019 heats up: Check out these cool shows," 4 June 2019

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