Synonyms of persnickety

persnickety

adjective

pər-ˈsni-kə-tē 

1

as in finicky

hard to please

as she got older, she got more and more persnickety

Synonyms & Similar Words

• finicky
• careful
• picky
• nice
• fussy
• particular
• pernickety
• fastidious
• demanding
• exacting
• choosy
• finical
• dainty
• meticulous
• delicate
• selective
• finicking
• fussbudgety
• old-maidish
• critical
• discerning
• captious
• discriminating
• knowledgeable
• hypercritical
• scrupulous
• punctilious
• insightful
• overcritical
• prissy
• peevish
• petulant
• painstaking
• faultfinding
• squeamish
• touchy
• queasy
• prickly
• overdemanding
• prim
• hyperfastidious
• carping
• ultrafastidious
• caviling
• niminy-piminy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• affable
• lackadaisical
• carefree
• low-pressure
• flexible
• lax
• breezy
• loose
• relaxed
• lenient
• unfussy
• permissive
• unfastidious
• uncritical
• laid-back
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care
• undiscriminating
• indiscriminating

2

as in challenging

requiring much time, effort, or careful attention

lacked the patience to deal with such persnickety tasks as hanging wallpaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

• challenging
• difficult
• demanding
• onerous
• tough
• laborious
• exacting
• burdensome
• arduous
• hard
• formidable
• grueling
• taxing
• toilsome
• strenuous
• killing
• testing
• oppressive
• stringent
• strict
• rigorous
• stiff
• herculean
• severe
• rough
• stern
• rugged
• rigid
• trying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• light
• easy
• simple
• unchallenging
• smooth
• effortless
• nondemanding
• facile

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"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aristocratic
• arrogant
• snooty
• snobbish
• snobby
• snotty
• ritzy
• elitist
• uppity
• high-hat
• toffee-nosed
• potty
• bumptious
• supercilious
• high-and-mighty
• smug
• aloof
• haughty
• pretentious
• huffy
• pompous
• hoity-toity
• imperious
• superior
• high-handed
• presumptuous
• self-important
• highfalutin
• egotistic
• huffish
• peremptory
• egoistic
• toplofty
• overweening
• stuck-up
• prideful
• lordly
• self-satisfied
• self-conceited
• bigheaded
• biggety
• swelled-headed
• swellheaded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• democratic
• egalitarian
• humble
• modest
• unpretentious
• egoless
• anti-elitist

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of persnickety

Meanwhile, a persnickety bank investigator, played by Tilda Swinton in a frizzle of red hair and clompy shoes, approaches Doyle with a serious charge. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Oct. 2025

The holdup has come from some persnickety deal points, like carving out international streaming rights and reaching consensus on the tech advancements Apple plans to use for its productions. —Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025

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

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

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

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