persnickety

adjective

per·​snick·​e·​ty pər-ˈsni-kə-tē 

1

a

: fussy about small details : fastidious

a persnickety teacher

b

: having the characteristics of a snob

2

: requiring great precision

a persnickety job

persnicketiness

pər-ˈsni-kə-tē-nəs 

noun

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.

Synonyms

• finicky
• careful
• picky
• nice
• fussy
• particular
• fastidious
• pernickety [chiefly British]
• demanding
• choosey
• exacting
• choosy
• finical
• dainty
• meticulous

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

But Wilson is in his comfort zone as ever with Anderson, playing Francis’s persnickety dedication to the trip’s itinerary with his typical generosity. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025

What would the notoriously persnickety Corbitt say about those bold additions? —Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 17 May 2025

Jonathan Pryce plays the persnickety headmaster who prefers to keep politics outside the school walls. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024

Kurkdjian’s policies as head of the department reflect both a persnickety attention to detail and an obsession with creative autonomy. —Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

But even with Ed Begley onboard as a doctor with tenuous ties to his Hippocratic oath, Elizabeth Perkins steals the show playing Funkhouser’s persnickety new flame, Marilyn. —Larry Fitzmaurice, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024

Others are patently unsuitable, notably a persnickety couple who prompt one of John’s rare outbursts of frustration with the process. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024

Working in visual effects had given him a persnickety lens on the world. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

All are notoriously persnickety when evaluating food prepared by the contestants, and the bar for excellence rises as the season progresses. —Mary Colurso | [e-mail], al, 13 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

alteration of pernickety

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for persnickety

• rickety

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