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
-
Watch out for slippery roads: Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
7 June 2025
-
However, Kilmeade was careful to praise Musk’s efforts during his time in the Trump administration.—
Andrew Kirell,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Hydrangeas can be a bit finicky and may take a few weeks to months to settle in.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
31 May 2025
-
But the finicky weather usually makes for a shorter window.—
Ben Ayers,
Outside Online,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
What would the notoriously persnickety Corbitt say about those bold additions?—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
17 May 2025
-
Jonathan Pryce plays the persnickety headmaster who prefers to keep politics outside the school walls.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
One of its biggest beefs in recent years has been over U.S. moves to limit the access of Chinese companies to technology, and in particular to equipment and processes needed to produce the most advanced semiconductors.—
Ken Moritsugu,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
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But for some reason this particular patch of dead air didn’t leave enough time to let everyone back to their seats before Lin-Manuel Miranda and company took the stage.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
But this approach is a bit fussy for me—I'd rather keep it low-key and bring as few valuables to the beach as possible.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
28 May 2025
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Compared to hearty, flexible grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot is the fussy artist in a world of engineers.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
Pets can be pretty picky, especially with their food and water.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
5 June 2025
-
There is no such thing as a perfect candidate, so don’t be so darn picky.—
Michelle Jefferson,
Baltimore Sun,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Advertisement Advertisement Anderson has been accused of many things: putting style before substance, being too sardonic as to lack emotionality, leaning too hard into nostalgia, becoming too fastidious for his own good.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
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In the past several weeks, President Donald Trump, who has never been fastidious about separating public and private business, has been involved in a remarkable number of potential conflicts of interest.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
The nausea is now mostly in the past, Lauren says, and the Lanes are realizing that getting ready for a third child isn’t as demanding as earlier preparations.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
30 May 2025
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Work and home will be equally demanding, as Venus meets with Jupiter on June 4.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pernickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pernickety. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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