as in quibbling
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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
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Recent Examples of nitpicking
Zack Meisel, New York Times, 12 May 2026
That meant making some hard choices and nitpicking reasons for why one place shouldn't be included.
—Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 11 Apr. 2026
Notorious for nitpicking every small mistake after big victories, the Texas women’s head basketball coach was downright dismissive of any flaws in his team’s Sweet 16 win over Kentucky.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
While her intentions may stem from concern, her nitpicking mirrors this Earth sign’s shadow side.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
The key is not nitpicking yourself into paralysis… done is better than perfect.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 4 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, nitpicking from Stewart is always welcome.
—Kansas City Star, 6 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
Verb
Now, Cleveland desperately needs some guys with track records — Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo and, if nitpicking, José Ramírez — to show signs of life, and the club could flaunt its most formidable offense in years.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 12 May 2026
That meant making some hard choices and nitpicking reasons for why one place shouldn't be included.
—Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 11 Apr. 2026
Notorious for nitpicking every small mistake after big victories, the Texas women’s head basketball coach was downright dismissive of any flaws in his team’s Sweet 16 win over Kentucky.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
While her intentions may stem from concern, her nitpicking mirrors this Earth sign’s shadow side.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
The key is not nitpicking yourself into paralysis… done is better than perfect.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 4 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, nitpicking from Stewart is always welcome.
—Kansas City Star, 6 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpicking
Adjective
-
More support tickets, more quibbling, more negotiating.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Chevron and the state have been in a tense relationship for years; Chevron moved its headquarters out of California in 2024 after complaining about state and local regulations, and is currently buying oil shipped through an offshore pipeline that California has attempted to keep shut down.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
22 May 2026
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And now that the Knicks are on the road, Mamadani can get back to whatever issues the people of New York are complaining about in his comments section.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Those subtle details make a huge difference in both worlds.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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Parents may notice subtle warning signs like skipping meals, cutting out entire food groups, anxiety around social eating, obsessive label reading, excessive exercise, or a sudden focus on body image.—
LeeAnn Weintraub,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
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Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The stuff with a load of people wearing wigs moaning about taxes just isn’t seen as very glamorous.—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
-
There are kerfuffles down at the hardware store, and a moaning moose makes his presence known near the motel where Ulysses is staying.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The new calculation, made at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva, could help solve a niggling mystery about this particle’s mass.—
Clara Moskowitz,
Scientific American,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Henry dismisses Yasmin but can’t shake the niggling feeling that his wife isn’t entirely wrong.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump’s carping notwithstanding, economic growth spiked during Powell’s first year to 3 percent, the highest since the mid-2000s, and wages rose at the fastest rate since before the financial crisis.—
Roger Lowenstein,
The Atlantic,
16 Jan. 2026
-
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 31 May. 2026.
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