hairsplitting
[hair-split-ing]
noun
the making of unnecessarily fine distinctions.
adjective
characterized by such distinctions: the hairsplitting arguments of a political debate.
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RELATED WORDS
carping, censorious, critical, demanding, faultfinding, finicky, fussy, niggling, persnickety, overcritical, nit-picking
Origin of hairsplitting
Synonyms for hairsplitting
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for hair-splitting
Contemporary Examples of hair-splitting
Much of the theological dispute might seem like hair-splitting, but the stakes were high.
Historical Examples of hair-splitting
There is my defence on Terminus, or better say on hair-splitting.
Erasmus and the Age of ReformationJohan Huizinga
It is a danger to which ingenious and hair-splitting writers are liable.
Salem Witchcraft and Cotton MatherCharles W. Upham
This is not hair-splitting in the opprobrious sense of that term.
Essays In Pastoral MedicineAustin Malley
I know your hair-splitting habit; I at once anticipate your reply.
The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. II.(of II)Charles James Lever
But he disliked the corrupt method of his countrymen, who indulged in hair-splitting, casuistry, and subtleties.
History of the Jews, Vol. V (of 6)Heinrich Graetz
hairsplitting
noun
adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper