1
as in finicky
hard to please
as she got older, she got more and more persnickety
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
lacked the patience to deal with such persnickety tasks as hanging wallpaper
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3
as in aristocratic
being or characteristic of a person who has an offensive air of superiority and tends to ignore or disdain anyone regarded as inferior
his persnickety attitude lost him some friends when they found out what he really thinks of "their kind"
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Recent Examples of persnickety
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
Kurkdjian’s policies as head of the department reflect both a persnickety attention to detail and an obsession with creative autonomy.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
But even with Ed Begley onboard as a doctor with tenuous ties to his Hippocratic oath, Elizabeth Perkins steals the show playing Funkhouser’s persnickety new flame, Marilyn.
—Larry Fitzmaurice, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024
Others are patently unsuitable, notably a persnickety couple who prompt one of John’s rare outbursts of frustration with the process.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Working in visual effects had given him a persnickety lens on the world.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
All are notoriously persnickety when evaluating food prepared by the contestants, and the bar for excellence rises as the season progresses.
—Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
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, 26 June 2023
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
Kurkdjian’s policies as head of the department reflect both a persnickety attention to detail and an obsession with creative autonomy.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
But even with Ed Begley onboard as a doctor with tenuous ties to his Hippocratic oath, Elizabeth Perkins steals the show playing Funkhouser’s persnickety new flame, Marilyn.
—Larry Fitzmaurice, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024
Others are patently unsuitable, notably a persnickety couple who prompt one of John’s rare outbursts of frustration with the process.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Working in visual effects had given him a persnickety lens on the world.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
All are notoriously persnickety when evaluating food prepared by the contestants, and the bar for excellence rises as the season progresses.
—Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
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, 26 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persnickety
Adjective
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Switching brands is easy, and customers are more finicky than ever.—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
-
But the spring portal can also be particularly finicky.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
However, this challenging situation also presents an opportunity for businesses.—
Kendra Davenport,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
The new bill, advocates said, is also expected to be particularly challenging for Native Americans who rely on tribal cards for identification ‒ which typically don't include place of birth, as the new law requires.—
Deborah Barfield Berry,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Historical memory Even before the conflict was over, aristocratic Anglican writers such as Sir Richard Musgrave spun the rebellion as an uprising of disgruntled Catholics.—
Joseph Patrick Kelly,
The Conversation,
20 May 2025
-
Just six years ago, the Times Square Alliance temporarily installed a similarly monumental statue by the artist Kehinde Wiley, who rose to stardom for his aristocratic portraits of contemporary Black people.—
Andrew Keh,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
The review process is careful for a reason – and perhaps the only real method of speeding it up is the one Zeldin has proposed: reassigning staff so there are more people to share the work.—
Jeffrey Gore,
The Conversation,
14 May 2025
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From examining markets and assessing team capacity to reviewing current offerings, the decision to expand to a second storefront is one that requires careful consideration before any concrete plans are put in motion.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Two of Elissa’s tumors were obliterated that day, but the third was too difficult to reach without repositioning Elissa’s body in a way that would have taken too much time under anesthesia.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
-
Proving such social behaviors is extraordinarily difficult without a large amount of data.—
Jay Kakade
May 18,
New Atlas,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
For example, when a man in his sixties talks about the same thing, he’s seen as calm and logical, but when a woman in her twenties talks about it, she’s seen as arrogant or trying to act mature.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
15 May 2025
-
By losing some of its arrogant charm, Doom has also lost the means to back it up.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Sometimes gratitude came easily, such as when Deb helped their kids, who were picky eaters, become more adventurous.—
Rhaina Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2025
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Although Noel is a little undersized for the position, the Bills haven’t been picky about those measurables in the Z receiver position in the past.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, ensuring data accuracy and integrity within compliance features, especially for reporting and audit trails, can be technically demanding and prone to errors if not carefully managed.—
Suresh Kannan,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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That, plus more demanding processors, higher burst rates, and video modes, means mirrorless cameras get less battery life than DSLRs.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persnickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persnickety. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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