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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of persnickety
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persnickety
Adjective
-
Christmas cactus can be finicky, and consistency is key.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
-
California renters are finicky customers, changing apartments far more often than the typical American tenant.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even at the show itself, some onlookers had found Lantink’s first non-couture collection from the house for a decade or so too challenging for their sensibilities to compute.—
Luke Leitch,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
-
While its not uncommon for companies to establish new garment factories, new mills are more challenging.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Despite initial criticism that the updates were too aristocratic or extravagant, according to the White House Historical Association, the architecture is now an integral part of the White House’s appearance.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
When both young people meet their end the Baron saves Christina by putting Hans’ brain in Christina’s body, uniting their blurred identities in a joint thirst for revenge, creating a Gothic avenger who hunts down the aristocratic ruffians who ruined their happiness.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This careful tiptoeing is probably because the scissor artwork was never meant to be sold at a wider scale.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the world’s most persistent waste problems, plastics are durable and difficult to recycle.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
-
But grass is difficult to digest for the mammal.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Elsewhere, the details lifted from the book suffer in translation – Branagh’s Victor is appropriately arrogant but not adequately tortured; De Niro’s Monster is sensitive and intuitive, but drowns in the film’s hurried, hollow second half.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, try plain egg and cheese bites for picky eaters, or try adding mixed vegetables and beans for an easy way to boost your fiber intake.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Nothing in the kitchen is more reliably frustrating than trying to feed a picky one.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the tale’s bitterest ironies is that Victor will become a more demanding, more neglectful, and vastly more destructive father figure than Leopold ever was.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Check-in bullies are the most demanding hotel guests.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persnickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persnickety. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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