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pettifogger

noun

Definition of pettifoggernext
1
as in lawyer

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2
as in quibbler

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogger
  1. lawyer
  2. purist
  3. shyster
  4. perfectionist
  5. attorney
Noun
  • One month before the Pentagon announced its first equity stake in a company, its top lawyer asked the White House to explain why the deal wouldn’t break the law.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Her lawyer, Enza Rando, who helped her testify against her father and boyfriend in 2009, told CNN the state was also to blame for not providing enough protection and support for those who cross crime gangs.
    — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of lawyer
Noun
  • Around the halfway point of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Petya Trofimov — eternal grad student, moral purist, and former tutor to the once wealthy family whose diminution sits at the heart of the play — makes a speech.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Turkey and White-Bean Chili Chili purists say there’s no place for beans in real chili, but since this recipe already bucks tradition by using turkey instead of ground beef, all bets are off.
    — Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of purist
Noun
  • The filmmaker has likened his perspective in this project to that of Dorothy’s dog Toto in The Wizard of Oz, alert to the shuffling feet beneath the curtain rather than being bamboozled by the shyster title character’s techno showmanship.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
Definition of shyster
Noun
  • That comes from him being a perfectionist on the sideline with every pass, every move.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Neither of them knew how much work lay ahead, and Don was a perfectionist, scribing each new board to fit as snugly as a puzzle piece against the irregular stone walls.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of perfectionist
Noun
  • An immigration attorney representing the man's family identified him as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Some medical professionals have a reputation among attorneys as more defense-friendly, and prosecutors should know better than to pick them even before trial, Stimson told the Washington Examiner.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of attorney

Browse Nearby Words

petticoat
pettifogger
pettifoggers
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Cite this Entry

“Pettifogger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogger. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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