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
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Recent Examples of nitpick
Ahead of his first season at the helm, one analyst decided to nitpick a recent press conference appearance.
—
Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
Still, with star power and depth at all three levels of the defense, pointing out weaknesses is an act of nitpicking at this point.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2025
Some customers aren’t thrilled with their nitpicking nature.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 10 July 2025
There may be more to it and perhaps PCS will nitpick.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
Still, with star power and depth at all three levels of the defense, pointing out weaknesses is an act of nitpicking at this point.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2025
Some customers aren’t thrilled with their nitpicking nature.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 10 July 2025
There may be more to it and perhaps PCS will nitpick.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpick
Verb
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Gil complained that the mound was slick, and the grounds crew came out to work on it in between innings.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Although the underlings complained about my methods, the cartel leaders, like Pedro and his boss, El Viejo, a key deputy of Pablo Escobar, were on my side.—
Martin Suarez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Joy Randolph and John Early, as the two Afterlife Coordinators, have a quibbling charisma, but the movie should have done more with all its possible versions of paradise, figuring out how to use them comedically instead of just as easy punchlines.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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Again, our reviewers could quibble with that ranking, as no Samsung sets appear in our best TVs list.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Naysayers often cavil that California’s economic growth depends almost entirely on Silicon Valley and the capital gains income of its wealthiest residents, but its primacy in high technology encompasses fields outside Northern California, such as biotech.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2021
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However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at.—
Kelly Corbett,
House Beautiful,
7 Oct. 2020
Verb
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Others might tell you that hosting an awards show is a thankless gig, but Bargatze doesn’t seem fussed.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
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This was the mid 1980s and tandem skydiving hadn’t been popularized yet, so his father, Roger, adjusted accordingly by stuffing carpet padding into the leg pads to stop him from fussing.—
Angelina Liu,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Julia says, dropping to all fours and moaning amid a pile of straw on the floor.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ellis could be heard moaning and could be seen lying on the ground.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nitpick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpick. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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