1
as in choosy
hard to please
a picky cat who would only eat one particular kind of food, and only if it was served in his special dish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in selective
tending to select carefully
she's picky, but she always finds the best quality in fresh meat and fish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of picky
Easy enough to be picky at the plate when things are going well.
—
Kevin Sherrington
mar. 25, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026
For families navigating food insecurity, time constraints or picky eaters, that framing can quietly become its own form of pressure, even when the surrounding language feels warm and permissive.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Yet our pickiest eater broadened his horizons on the trip.
—Matt Bomer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Physicians had been making sure their transplants weren’t transmitting HIV or hepatitis C, but a consolidated operation could screen for more pathogens and be pickier about its donors.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for picky
Kevin Sherrington
mar. 25, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026
For families navigating food insecurity, time constraints or picky eaters, that framing can quietly become its own form of pressure, even when the surrounding language feels warm and permissive.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Yet our pickiest eater broadened his horizons on the trip.
—Matt Bomer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Physicians had been making sure their transplants weren’t transmitting HIV or hepatitis C, but a consolidated operation could screen for more pathogens and be pickier about its donors.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for picky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picky
Adjective
-
Investors have grown choosier, and shows are struggling to hit even their minimum capitalizations.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Coming off a 6-11 season and with limited salary-cap space, the Kansas City Chiefs will have to be choosy when determining which of their free agents to bring back for 2026 and beyond.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The process involves the selective activation of what’s been handed down, which is one way to think about Emmie’s condition.—
Giles Harvey,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Tigers are not always being selective.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That’s especially true as the region gets an early warm season, allowing more finicky plants like cucumbers and melons time to get more established.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
But loading them with coffee is finicky.—
Noah Kaufman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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An assembly of planets in Aries moves through your twelfth house, stirring emotions behind the scenes and asking for careful tending.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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To the begonia collectors out there, Begona Black Velvet, with large leaves that could have fallen from a maple tree, is worth a careful look.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Google's $499 Pixel 10a feels a whole lot nicer to use.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
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Phase One currently is centered on a music theater that (from the point of view of the city) is very much in the nice-to-have-but-fully-served-elsewhere category and on a hotel, which is more promising but still less beneficial when compared with housing.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Briany, with her plump cheeks and full head of dark hair, wasn’t normally this fussy.—
Jeff Ernsthausen,
ProPublica,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But unlike at some jungle retreats, which demand a certain ability to rough it, even the most spider-averse will feel at home here—kids in particular.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
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District Attorney Vern Pierson thinks meeting with Denise – in particular – may have been Muller's objective for confessing all along.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Picky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picky. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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