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finnicky

[fin-i-kee]
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adjective, fin·nick·i·er, fin·nick·i·est.
  1. finicky.
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finicky

or fin·nick·y, fin·i·king

[fin-i-kee]
adjective, fin·ick·i·er, fin·ick·i·est.
  1. excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy.
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Origin of finicky

First recorded in 1815–25; finick + -y1
Related formssu·per·fin·ick·y, adjective

Synonyms

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for finnicky

Historical Examples

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for finnicky

finicky

finicking

adjective
  1. excessively particular, as in tastes or standards; fussy
  2. 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 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).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper