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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persnickety
Adjective
-
The machines — hulking, finicky steel beasts — date to the early 1940s.—
David Hudnall,
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2025
-
The new process works well enough, but the reader can be finicky.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Taking the most challenging courses available — like AP, IB, honors, or dual enrollment classes — signals preparedness for college-level work.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Getting the Supreme Court to take this case at all is going to be extremely challenging.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The psychological drama, which stars Satya Dev in the title role, showcases an elaborate poster featuring the actor in aristocratic regalia surrounded by peacock feathers and ornate details.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 Aug. 2025
-
The $80,000 price tag includes two people and almost all expenses, including five-star accommodations and a range of one-of-a-kind activities that immerse travelers in Italian culture, history, and aristocratic lifestyle, all in the lap of luxury.—
Rebecca Deurlein,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Navigating this revolution responsibly requires careful policy, support for adaptation and a focus on using technology to benefit people.—
Vaibhav Dani,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This deep understanding of local transportation patterns would have been difficult with rapid multi-city expansion.—
Tima Bansal,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
No calendar issue generates more frustration, or is more difficult to solve, than the transfer portal.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Depicting Americans as arrogant, loud, boorish and demeaning of other cultures, the term has stuck and is still mentioned 60-plus years later.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The most radical overhaul of the tax code in our state’s history would require voter approval in November 2026, and that starts by portraying local governments as cartoonishly arrogant, bloated and unaccountable.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
Get the kids involved in creating their snacks, use familiar foods for picky eaters, or make up a game like tic-tac-toe with crackers and cheese.—
Christina Montoya Fiedler,
Parents,
4 Aug. 2025
-
There will be no fights from the picky eaters at your table when Doritos Chicken Casserole is for dinner.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Baldwin has done it while playing the most difficult and demanding position on the diamond, mentally in terms of daily meetings and film study, and physically from the toll of working beneath pads in the summer heat and getting nicked up from foul tips, collisions and occasional wayward swings.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
-
This has come as a result of America being too demanding and being very political.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persnickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persnickety. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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