NIT PICK Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

nitpick

verb

ˈnit-ˌpik

Definition of nitpick

as in to complain

to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant her husband nitpicks about everything: from how she puts the plates away to how she files the bills

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nitpick And the backdrop of worldwide unrest and escalating nuclear threat is subtle to a fault, though that’s just nitpicking. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026 Diehards nitpicked pointless details like Bond's hair color as an excuse to dismiss the whole experiment. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026 While there are always things to nitpick in the style of play and execution, Wells is laser-focused on the way his players carry themselves as the Rapids enter a 60-day break between games for the World Cup. — Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 24 May 2026 Though who had time to nitpick, when there were floor-to-ceiling windows and a wide balcony that faced the sea? — Ada Calhoun, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for nitpick

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpick

Verb

Some users have complained on social media that the agent accessed personal messages without authorization, which the company has disputed.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
In a 2023 memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, who was then serving as the city council president, said residents complained about rodent infestations during a community meeting.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of complain

Verb

Perhaps only a pedant—or a hypocrite—would fuss about that kind of imprecision.

— Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
If the offensive line’s healthy again, RB Saquon Barkley will ramble again, broadening QB Jalen Hurts’ margin for error and being fussed at by the coaching staff.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of fuss

Verb

For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.

— Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
By the time Fowler gave up trying to put one in Carruthers, DiLiberato could hear her client moaning and see blood oozing out of his puncture wounds.

— Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of moan

Browse Nearby Words

nitery

nitpick

nitpicked

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Style

“Nitpick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpick. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of nitpick

verb

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