as in complains
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 nitpicks
So your first indication of problems can be a client who nitpicks every job, forcing you to return to re-trim the 2-inch patch of sod that the client claims wasn’t properly manicured.
—
Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
But Brian constantly nitpicks her purchases.
—Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025
Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
But Brian constantly nitpicks her purchases.
—Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpicks
Verb
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Every once in a while, a customer complains about the lascivious photos in the loo, but The Charles’ owners brush it off.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
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More funds would continue to be diverted to maintaining borrowing—something Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio often complains about.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
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Passersby hear its shrieks and moans from the road.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nitpicks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpicks. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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