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Synonyms

hairsplitting

American  
[hair-split-ing] / ˈhɛərˌsplɪt ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the making of unnecessarily fine distinctions.

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

"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

adjective

  1. occupied with or based on petty distinctions

"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

Other Word Forms

  • hairsplitter noun

Etymology

Origin of hairsplitting

First recorded in 1820–30; hair + splitting

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.