as in careful
hard to please
an Oxford don who's definitely a pernickety old chap
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Recent Examples of pernickety
Perhaps this pernickety attention to detail is just the next logical step after years of falsification?
—
Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2020
Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pernickety
Adjective
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For most, wealth results from years of hard work, careful planning, and disciplined saving.—
Georgette Virgo,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
-
However, be careful of blurring the distinction between professional and personal relationships.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
But momentum — a finicky word this time of year — swung massively in their favour in the third period of Game 4.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Star Wars fans can be a finicky bunch, but Tony Gilroy has been fearless, much like the series creator George Lucas, in delivering to them.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
But Wilson is in his comfort zone as ever with Anderson, playing Francis’s persnickety dedication to the trip’s itinerary with his typical generosity.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
-
What would the notoriously persnickety Corbitt say about those bold additions?—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
All three platforms can cite one particular business for helping drive recent success: financial services.—
Lionel Lim,
Fortune,
22 June 2025
-
Rather, the court thought that the correct analysis was whether a particular Anti-SLAPP law (here, New Jersey's UPEPA) through its text and structure was in conflict with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
Making mini lava cakes is fussy, but this large format variation is as easy as can be.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
26 June 2025
-
Flamboyant, fast-talking Southerner Georgia stands out among the fussy, provincial New England set.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Cherry laurel isn't super picky and will tolerate dry, poor, and alkaline soils, salt, as well as heavy pruning.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
10 June 2025
-
For younger children or more picky eaters, start with something simple and approachable, like steaming edamame (young soybeans) or adding black beans to a cheesy quesadilla.—
Dr. Kelly Fradin,
CNBC,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
Aside from Howard Hughes, Enzo Ferrari was Mann’s white whale: a fastidious man who was excellent at his job and attempted to bury—yet was consumed by—overwhelming emotional torment.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
20 June 2025
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The fastidious formality of Monsieur Gustave H. exists right alongside his matter-of-fact vulgarity, a combination that Fiennes nails with astounding precision.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
But the plaintiffs in the case and the Biden administration said the appeals court was wrong to apply that standard and should have instead analyzed it under the most demanding level, strict scrutiny, because the law impedes adults' access to speech protected by the Constitution.—
June 27,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
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Further stymying manufacturing’s renaissance is that plant work isn’t just dirty and physically demanding – albeit less than in prior generations – but also relatively low-paying with limited career prospects.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pernickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pernickety. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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