as in complaining
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quibbling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 nitpicking
Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 14 Sep. 2025
That might seem like nitpicking, except this is a franchise that has had the luxury of starting-caliber linemen as reserves.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 17 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
Adjective
Venus in Virgo loves precision, but be careful not to slide into scarcity thinking or nitpicking your progress.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 14 Sep. 2025
That might seem like nitpicking, except this is a franchise that has had the luxury of starting-caliber linemen as reserves.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 17 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpicking
Verb
-
And the truth is, other nations should stop complaining — and start learning.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Thus, unlike disgruntled newspaper readers, whose only resort was to write an angry letter to the editor, radio listeners could now vent their frustrations by going over the heads of a local affiliate and complaining directly to the government.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
More support tickets, more quibbling, more negotiating.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
With five blades sandwiched between two moisturizing bars, this razor speeds up the entire process (no fussing around with shaving cream), nourishing dry skin and making nicks a rare occurrence.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
In a subtler interpretation of the trend, the Jazz bookshelf is handcrafted in oak that takes on a golden hue when hit with the right light.—
Rachel Gallaher,
Robb Report,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Cohen and other researchers have identified many subtle fixes that improve kids’ eating habits.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By making a subtle tweak out of possession, Slot looks to have addressed an issue that was niggling away at his side despite last season’s title victory.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Should the pattern hold true throughout the long march to the Super Bowl, nobody’s going to be carping about the official headcount.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nitpicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpicking. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share