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
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 Feb. 2026
-
To make the most of spring planting, start with site preparation and careful plant selection.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Between stiff, too-tight pairs digging into my waist with every move and finicky zippers and buttons, finding a trusty pair of jeans can feel daunting.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Orchids might seem like finicky houseplants, but with the proper care, that grocery store stunner can bloom for years and years.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Francesca’s pinnacle Once a Regency world has implied there’s mass print culture capable of speedy and pervasive distribution of colored images, something as persnickety as vocabulary is probably beside the point.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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What’s more, some species are so persnickety that even low-water activity media won’t do the trick consistently.—
Elizabeth Anne Brown,
Scientific American,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This particular shipment likely set sail from Quanzhou, a port on China’s eastern coast that was close to the creative heartlands in the Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, bound for Temasek, according to Flecker.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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Intentionally or not, this particular piece channels the emerald Cartier necklace Marjorie Merriweather Post wore to the Palm Beach Everglades Ball in 1929, a transfixing way to make an entrance.—
Kathryn O’Shea-Evans,
Robb Report,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Relatively disease and pest-free, gladiolus aren't fussy about soil and, once established, are moderately drought-tolerant.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
27 Feb. 2026
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The Serving Spoon has been passed down several generations and serves up soul food fare at a non-fussy spot in Los Angeles County.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Sugar, butter, eggs, and your choice of thickening agent (flour or cornmeal or a combo of both), come together to make a luscious custard filling that will please even the pickiest of pie eaters.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
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Cuyana’s System Zipper Tote is another favorite among picky InStyle shopping editors.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The director, Polly Findlay, presents all of this in a fluid and fastidious prestige-teleplay-of-the-week way.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2026
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Maria Barriga is fastidious with hers at Oxomoco.—
Wilder Davies,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The base model starts at $1,599, while the higher-end Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299 and adds features aimed at more demanding professional use cases, including higher brightness, mini-LED backlighting and a faster refresh rate.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
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Or in the dancer Mira Nadon, whose body contains a natural shadow, revealing a tension between musical dissonance and the relentlessly demanding and athletic steps she is pushed to perform.—
Jennifer Homans,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pernickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pernickety. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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