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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in boring
causing weariness or lack of interest
I found the author's writing informative but dreadfully pedantic.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 pedantic
The primary impact was to tournament players and to the pedantic rule grammar police.
—
Todd Boss, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Plus, in addition to bringing back master-of-disguise penguin villain Feathers McGraw, the movie features a convincing while never pedantic message about our dependence on technology and the pleasures of doing things by hand.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
So ultimately, the remedy for this problem goes beyond pedantic lessons in medical risk data.
—Amanda Montañez, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2024
And Mitchell is perfectly cast in a role seemingly built to suit his usual fussy, pedantic schtick.
—Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedantic
Todd Boss, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Plus, in addition to bringing back master-of-disguise penguin villain Feathers McGraw, the movie features a convincing while never pedantic message about our dependence on technology and the pleasures of doing things by hand.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
So ultimately, the remedy for this problem goes beyond pedantic lessons in medical risk data.
—Amanda Montañez, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2024
And Mitchell is perfectly cast in a role seemingly built to suit his usual fussy, pedantic schtick.
—Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedantic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pedantic
Adjective
-
There have been TikTok videos, Reddit threads and scholarly essays, all dedicated to how that one scene traumatized us all.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
16 May 2025
-
Graham Coop, the director of the university’s Center for Population Biology, was among nearly 250 new members announced last month by the academy, one of the nation’s oldest scholarly societies.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
The Salon Clutch Structured yet theatrical, Le Salon is Jacquemus’s answer to the evening clutch—pared back, but never boring.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
10 May 2025
-
Even Jiro himself, originally thought the film would be boring, Gelb admitted.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Continue reading to see which states are the most financially literate.—
Ben Kesslen,
Quartz,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The Gospel authors, far from being community leaders preserving oral sayings for largely illiterate followers, were highly literate members of a small, erudite upper crust, distant in experience, attitude, and geography from any Galilean peasant preachers.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Mets were three outs away from a sixth shutout in 23 games before Philadelphia scored four in the ninth off a tiring Max Kranick and Edwin Díaz.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Naturally, Raducanu’s level took a dip and the 2024 U.S Open runner-up seized the chance to let rip against a tiring opponent.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This type of intelligent power management would mark a departure from Apple's existing Low Power Mode, which applies system-wide restrictions.—
Tahar Rajab,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
-
These intelligent adaptations help homeowners effectively reduce their monthly energy expenses.—
Jon Stojan,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
The bristles of the brush manually sweep away dull, rough, flaky skin cells.—
Angela Palmer,
Verywell Health,
20 May 2025
-
There’s an effort from the developer, Far Out Games, to tell a captivating noirish story here but the cutscenes and dialogue are painfully dull.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
The humor was of the cerebral, physical, cynical and quite often gallows varieties, but always heartfelt.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
8 May 2025
-
This is a person who was an extremely cerebral human being.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
In the wrong hands, this could be too didactic and clumsy, but it’s deftly executed, and the integration of songs, drama, and dance is seamless—and often stunning.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2025
-
Unfortunately, the question of how much worth is placed on an Israeli life versus a Palestinian one is answered mostly in words, and thus, in too direct (and perhaps too didactic) a fashion, when so much of the movie’s drama could have grounded it emotionally.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pedantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pedantic. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share