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
There are plenty of valid reasons to nitpick the Patriots, but none of that matters if Maye keeps playing like this.
—
The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
There are some who are not a fan of this upcoming quarterback class at all and have been nitpicking red flags with many of the top prospects at the position like Mendoza, Dante Moore and Ty Simpson.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
But that certainly didn’t stop the critics from nitpicking everything from her rocking sleeveless dresses to not wearing hosiery.
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
During rehearsals, teams of marching technicians, student teachers and band leaders nitpick the show to perfection, sometimes spending much of their practice time going through the show second by second.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
There are some who are not a fan of this upcoming quarterback class at all and have been nitpicking red flags with many of the top prospects at the position like Mendoza, Dante Moore and Ty Simpson.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
But that certainly didn’t stop the critics from nitpicking everything from her rocking sleeveless dresses to not wearing hosiery.
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
During rehearsals, teams of marching technicians, student teachers and band leaders nitpick the show to perfection, sometimes spending much of their practice time going through the show second by second.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpick
Verb
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When Maguire first complained about the extra charges, the nurse practitioner wasn't aware the hospital fees were being assessed.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
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Critics also complain that Dodge, known for its muscle cars, muffed its transition to hybrid power systems.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the Hornets won’t quibble much about that given how Flagg got hot during the second quarter, firing in 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in nine minutes.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Jan. 2026
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There’s not much to quibble with in the market’s to-and-fro oscillations among sectors and themes so far.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
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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Need to put a filling dinner on the table, but don't have a lot of time to fuss?—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
22 Dec. 2025
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Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While Slot was moaning about having to play two away matches in four days (and about missing a couple of key players), Emery, also without important figures such as Boubacar Kamara, was overseeing his Villa side playing the same tough schedule and win both games without conceding a goal.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The austerity gives her plenty of room to writhe, mug, and moan between occasional shots of an inflatable Martian and a tropical-looking Tiffany lamp.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nitpick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpick. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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