as in teachers
disapproving
a person who annoys other people by correcting small errors and giving too much attention to minor details
They found the professor to be a dull pedant more concerned with the intricacies of punctuation than the craft of writing.
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Recent Examples of pedants
Medieval schoolmen worrying over Aristotle could be pedants; so could cultivated female salonnières in seventeenth-century Paris.
—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
As botanists and pedants will tell you, figs are technically a flower, not a fruit.
—
Emily Saladino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
As botanists and pedants will tell you, figs are technically a flower, not a fruit.
—
Emily Saladino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pedants
teachers
Noun
-
The Pew survey found religiously unaffiliated Americans – those who identify as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular – were least likely to support religious expression in public schools, with 59% saying teachers should not be allowed to lead students in prayer at all.
-
Supporters say the proposal would finally give teachers benefits similar to those available to many other workers.
Cite this Entry
“Pedants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pedants. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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