hairsplitting

American  

[hair-split-ing] / ˈhɛərˌsplɪt ɪŋ /

noun

1. the making of unnecessarily fine distinctions.

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adjective

1. characterized by such distinctions.

   the hairsplitting arguments of a political debate.

   Synonyms:

   captious, niggling, quibbling

hairsplitting British  

/ ˈhɛəˌsplɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. the making of petty distinctions

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adjective

1. occupied with or based on petty distinctions

Other Word Forms

• hairsplitter
  noun

Etymology

Origin of hairsplitting

First recorded in 1820–30; hair + splitting

Example Sentences

But Oedipus is in no mood for academic hairsplitting.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

This is a strange time to be debating the merits of truth in journalism on the stage—and it is journalism that John is practicing here, regardless of his genre hairsplitting.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 22, 2018

Yet even the new rules can seem like hairsplitting.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2017

Even when Bessus’s behavior is utterly craven, his sidekicks mount hairsplitting arguments that prove him valiant — and he believes them.

From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2017

One moment's reflection will show why they need not be considered separately, and why we can leave it to Webster to do the hairsplitting.

From The Armed Forces Officer Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-2 by United States. Dept. of Defense