finicky
or fin·nick·y, fin·i·king
[fin-i-kee]
- excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy.
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Origin of finicky
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
choosysqueamishfastidiousscrupulousfussycriticaldaintydifficultnicepersnicketypickyfinicalfussbudgetnit-pickingoverniceExamples from the Web for finicky
Contemporary Examples
The price reflects its rarity as well, but also the finicky, difficult, and nuanced process of making Champagne.
Historical Examples
Some were finicky as to their officers, and waited until they should be satisfied.
The Siege of BostonAllen 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 DaysCarolyn Wells
Married one of these up-dee-dee, poetry-reading, finicky women.
The JobSinclair Lewis
Finicky ladies don't get two invitations into the Treadwell.
AlaskaElla Higginson
finicky
finicking
- excessively particular, as in tastes or standards; fussy
- full of trivial detail; overelaborate
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Word Origin
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).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper