finnicky

[ fin-i-kee ]

/ ˈfɪn ɪ ki /

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

finicky.

Nearby words

finicky

or fin·nick·y, fin·i·king

[ fin-i-kee ]

/ ˈfɪn ɪ ki /

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

SYNONYMS FOR finicky

exacting, demanding, meticulous; choosy, picky.

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

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

Examples from the Web for finnicky

Respect for the cloth cannot be won among these open-hearted folk by finnicky manners.
The Heart of Canyon Pass|Thomas K. Holmes
That comes under the head of earnings, if you are finnicky about the profits.
Dennison Grant|Robert Stead
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

/ (ˈfɪnɪkɪ) /

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).