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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nitpick
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
The defense nitpicked at different parts of the evidence charts, noting that some sections were lacking.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
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
The defense nitpicked at different parts of the evidence charts, noting that some sections were lacking.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpick
Verb
-
On a StudBudz stream, Courtney Williams complained about having to share space at the team’s practice area, particularly when players and other attendees of the recreation center need to shower.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Roman complains about pain in his feet, and Dennis offers him a foot massage.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When the murder of 100,000 people, many of them women and children, is mentioned or denounced, or when someone dares to use terms such as genocide, ethnocide, ethnic cleansing or similar, most people choose to take issue with the characterization, quibbling over semantics.—
Uriel Kon
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
-
His reputation at Liverpool may have suffered due to the manner of his departure to Spain and subsequent transfer to arch-rivals Manchester United, but nobody would quibble with his record.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
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Inside, Seán glanced briefly away from the television as the women fussed at Orla’s return.—
Anne Enright,
New Yorker,
27 July 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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