as in careful
hard to please
cats have a reputation for being finicky eaters
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Recent Examples of finicky
For some people, like those with finicky internet or frequent power outages, initiating a long, slow download that runs in the background for hours or days isn't a viable option.
—
Justin Pot, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
Ranunculus Another gorgeous-yet-finicky flower is the ranunculus.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 10 Mar. 2026
The stir-together crust takes mere minutes, and there’s no finicky custard to make.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Solving the dead zone issue Laser communication is finicky.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finicky
Justin Pot, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
Ranunculus Another gorgeous-yet-finicky flower is the ranunculus.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 10 Mar. 2026
The stir-together crust takes mere minutes, and there’s no finicky custard to make.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Solving the dead zone issue Laser communication is finicky.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finicky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finicky
Adjective
-
Orion is a tight space for four people to navigate, so the crew members have a careful choreography to maximize the data the astronauts can gather.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Through careful tuning of an extended Kalman filter and by taking advantage of bamboo’s natural vibration-damping properties, the system slashes control latency from 15–20 milliseconds down to just 8–10 milliseconds, enhancing responsiveness while keeping flight stable.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My room had a large bathtub right by the window, a spacious walk-in shower, and Niven Morgan bath products (a nice touch, given that the brand is from Dallas).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The company flew Tony to Cupertino and put him up in a nice hotel with a fruit basket waiting in the room.—
Bill Gurley,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the United States, the actor played secondary roles, usually weary, nervy authority figures, such as the stern mentor (Good Will Hunting) and the persnickety scientist (Deep Blue Sea).—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Francesca’s pinnacle Once a Regency world has implied there’s mass print culture capable of speedy and pervasive distribution of colored images, something as persnickety as vocabulary is probably beside the point.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Set up a burrito bar for this totally customizable dinner that will leave even the pickiest eaters satisfied.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Fish are picky about their food.—
Mike Kurlansky,
Outside,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Is this emotional state of particular interest to you?—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Both reflect a deep passion for a particular place—Johnson’s Middle Tennessee, Hiaasen’s South Florida—and a mixture of exasperation and grief at the destruction of the natural world to make room for megamansions and toxic waste dumps.—
Francine Prose,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
John Houseman tippy toes briefly as a dry old bean and stuffy grammarian, emblematic of the stultified staff at Fox’s magazine of employment; unfortunately, Houseman’s marvelously fussy presence is only one of the film’s intermittent garnishes, most of which are never developed and never pay off.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The fussy Moon activates your 8th House of Intimate Topics, so joint finances or favors may feel sensitive and need clearer agreements.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some of the drop-off locations were strikingly similar—luxury apartment buildings whose vast lobbies were tributes to beige and camel, each housing a blocky reception desk manned by a burly fellow with a fastidious beard.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Prince and Princess of Wales are fastidious about dropping off and picking up their kids from school, even with their busy royal schedules and a nanny.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The hours were long, stressful, and emotionally demanding.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Wheeler coach Larry Thompson saw Landrew’s basketball IQ and physical toughness lead his team through some of its most demanding moments.—
Jack Leo,
AJC.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finicky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finicky. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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