finicky

or fin·nick·y, fin·i·king

[fin-i-kee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR finicky ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, fin·ick·i·er, fin·ick·i·est.

excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy.

Origin of finicky

First recorded in 1815–25; finick + -y¹

Related formssu·per·fin·ick·y, adjective

Synonyms for finicky

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR finicky ON THESAURUS.COM

exacting, demanding, meticulous; choosy, picky.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for finicky

choosy, squeamish, fastidious, scrupulous, fussy, critical, dainty, difficult, nice, persnickety, picky, finical, fussbudget, nit-picking, overnice

Examples from the Web for finicky

Contemporary Examples of finicky

The price reflects its rarity as well, but also the finicky, difficult, and nuanced process of making Champagne.
Champagne: You’re Drinking It All Wrong
Kayleigh Kulp
December 20, 2014

Historical Examples of finicky

Some were finicky as to their officers, and waited until they should be satisfied.
The Siege of Boston
Allen French
Who was this finicky party with the willow-ware eyes, anyway?
Torchy, Private Sec.
Sewell Ford
Kitty was the only Maynard who was finicky about her clothes.
Marjorie's Busy Days
Carolyn Wells
Married one of these up-dee-dee, poetry-reading, finicky women.
The Job
Sinclair Lewis
Finicky ladies don't get two invitations into the Treadwell.
Alaska
Ella Higginson

British Dictionary definitions for finicky

finicky

finicking

adjective

excessively particular, as in tastes or standards; fussy

full of trivial detail; overelaborate

Word Origin for finicky

C19: from finical

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for finicky

adj.

1825, "dainty, mincing," from finical "too particular" (1590s), perhaps from fine (adj.) + -ical as in cynical, ironical. The -k- between the final -c- and a suffix beginning in -i, -y, or -e is an orthographic rule to mark the pronunciation of -c- as "k" (cf. picnicking, trafficking, panicky, shellacked).