1
as in lawyer
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2
as in quibbler
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Recent Examples of pettifogger
For nearly three years now, I’ve been fascinated by the performance art of this blustering pettifogger.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogger
Noun
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Travis, a lawyer turned sports and political commentator, founded Outkick in 2011, and sold the brand to Fox News Media five years ago as part of its push into digital media.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
8 June 2026
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Meanwhile, Berry’s lawyer alleged that Aubry was using the child support for his own fitness, clothing, electronics, car and health insurance, according to TMZ.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
Noun
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This pitching matchup will have the purists drooling.—
Darren Cooper,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Some purists say the art form kicked the bucket when record labels took control in the 1980s and turned a South Bronx creation into big business.—
John Kennedy,
VIBE.com,
9 June 2026
Noun
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The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
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To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game.—
Eliza Strickland,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Andreeva has always been a perfectionist, sometimes to her benefit, often to her detriment.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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She was known to be a perfectionist, sometimes demanding take after take when even the director was perfectly happy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
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But ever since Hay filed his civil suit against Combs, the musician’s attorneys have fiercely denied his allegations.—
Elizabeth Wagmeister,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
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The video and the SCE data offer proof that the 100-year-old line, which hadn’t been used since the early 1970s, became re-electrified and sparked the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena and surrounding areas, attorneys say.—
Tony Saavedra,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pettifogger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogger. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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