splits hairs

phrase

present tense third-person singular of split hairs
as in complains
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant They fussed that the cheese should have been served at room temperature, but to me they were splitting hairs.

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Cite this Entry

“Splits hairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splits%20hairs. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

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