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hairsplitting

[ hair-split-ing ]
/ ˈhɛərˌsplɪt ɪŋ /
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noun
the making of unnecessarily fine distinctions.
adjective
characterized by such distinctions: the hairsplitting arguments of a political debate.

OTHER WORDS FOR hairsplitting

2 quibbling, niggling, nitpicking, captious.
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Origin of hairsplitting

First recorded in 1820–30; hair + splitting

OTHER WORDS FROM hairsplitting

hairsplitter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hairsplitting in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hairsplitting

hairsplitting
/ (ˈhɛəˌsplɪtɪŋ) /

noun
the making of petty distinctions
adjective
occupied with or based on petty distinctions

Derived forms of hairsplitting

hairsplitter, noun
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
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