finnicky

[fin-i-kee]

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

finicky.

finicky

or fin·nick·y, fin·i·king

[fin-i-kee]

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

exacting, demanding, meticulous; choosy, picky.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for finnicky

Historical Examples of finnicky

That comes under the head of earnings, if you are finnicky about the profits.
Dennison Grant
Robert Stead
Respect for the cloth cannot be won among these open-hearted folk by finnicky manners.
The Heart of Canyon Pass
Thomas K. Holmes
But he was a past-master in the art, notwithstanding he had not officiated before in the presence of so "finnicky" an assemblage.
Chiquita, an American Novel
Merrill Tileston

British Dictionary definitions for finnicky

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 finnicky

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).