1
as in scholarly
marked by or given to showing knowledge in a showy way
The writing was overly complex and pedantic, which made it nearly impossible to understand for anyone but a specialist. The speech was thoroughly researched and well structured, but too pedantic to appeal to a general audience.
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2
as in boring
causing weariness or lack of interest
I found the author's writing informative but dreadfully pedantic.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pedantic
In Strauss’s opinion, Oppenheimer’s increasing concerns about nuclear proliferation and radioactive wastes were pedantic, alarmist.
—
Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
None of this is pedantic, nor is it puffed up with moral outrage.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Newsweek Sports quoted Bruckheimer's statements, highlighting Hamilton's pedantic approach while filming.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
The inspiring leader is a big-picture optimist while the infuriating leader a pedantic pessimist.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedantic
Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
None of this is pedantic, nor is it puffed up with moral outrage.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Newsweek Sports quoted Bruckheimer's statements, highlighting Hamilton's pedantic approach while filming.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
The inspiring leader is a big-picture optimist while the infuriating leader a pedantic pessimist.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedantic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pedantic
Adjective
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The idea of a faculty committee empowered to vet scholarly publications for racial bias has, ineluctably, a Star Chamber vibe.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Unlike Boggs and Wade, whose subjects had commanded biographical and scholarly attention for decades, Richardson was breaking trail from the beginning, writing a life that had never been written before.—
Megan Marshall
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And producers are looking again for the serious, boring money with no strings attached.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The resulting larvae both look and act like screws, boring and twisting into the animal while feasting on its living flesh.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Financially literate people tend to build more wealth, live happier lives and even have better health outcomes.—
Kelsey Neubauer,
CNBC,
25 Sep. 2025
-
This was not a revolt driven by the literate few.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This intelligent two-way interaction changed the web forever.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The plot follows the story of Ainara, an intelligent 17-year-old who is trying to decide what to study at university.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Boosting Serum is a lightweight, brightening formula designed to even tone and revive dull, tired skin.—
Sarah Han,
Allure,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The best clarifying shampoo can completely transform a lackluster shower routine, deep cleansing hair, exfoliating the scalp, and banishing excess oils and product buildup that leave strands flat, dull, or frizz-prone.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Gillen remains on Eagan’s coaching staff as an assistant coach, and Kraft said the seven-time state champion coach provides pointers that help her with the cerebral side of the game.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Other decisions were more cerebral.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Such subtlety may not necessarily be what readers—perhaps American readers, in particular—expect from political fiction, which can have a reputation for being didactic and heavy-handed, designed to beat readers over the head, as if anything political were made in the mode of Soviet realism.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
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Curiosity is almost a like a science, didactic and patient.—
Alexandra Bregman,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pedantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pedantic. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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