pedant
Americannoun
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a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning.
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a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details.
- Synonyms:
- hairsplitter
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a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense.
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Obsolete. a schoolmaster.
noun
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a person who relies too much on academic learning or who is concerned chiefly with insignificant detail
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archaic a schoolmaster or teacher
Other Word Forms
- pedantesque adjective
- pedanthood noun
Etymology
Origin of pedant
First recorded in 1580–90; from Italian pedante “teacher, pedant”; apparently akin to pedagogue; see -ant
Explanation
A pedant is an annoying person who is focused on minor details and book knowledge rather than ordinary common sense. In war, it can be dangerous to have a pedant as commander — he'll insist on textbook maneuvers instead of adapting to circumstances on the ground. This word was borrowed from French pédant or Italian pedante "teacher, schoolmaster," but its ultimate origin is unknown. One theory is that the original meaning of Italian pedante was "foot soldier," associated with the Italian word pedagogo "teacher" because teachers are always on their feet. Another theory is that Italian pedante was formed from the root of Greek paideuein "to teach," which happens to be the source of English pedagogue "teacher." In fact, a pedagogue is a pedantic teacher.
Vocabulary lists containing pedant
Fahrenheit 451
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 3
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The Taming of the Shrew
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is completely understandable to raise concerns about a tattoo associated with the Nazi secret police; nobody should be regarded as a pedant for doing so.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
In order to put the pedant on permanent display, the museum had to pay a reward to the metal detectorist who made the discovery and the owner of the land it was found on.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
As any pedant will tell you, May is not technically summer.
From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2022
“If you think of yourself as something very special, you’ll end up a pedant and a bore.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2020
A sort of intellectual warmth, the joy of the pedant who has found out some useless fact, shone through the dirt and scrubby hair.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
