nitpick

or nit-pick

[ nit-pik ]
See synonyms for: nitpicknitpicking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to be excessively concerned with or critical of inconsequential details.

verb (used with object)
  1. to criticize by focusing on inconsequential details.

noun
  1. a carping, petty criticism.

adjective
  1. Also nit·pick·y . of, relating to, or characteristic of a person who nitpicks: a nitpick review of the miniseries.

Origin of nitpick

1
First recorded in 1965–70; nit1 + pick1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for nit-pick

nit-pick

verb(intr)
  1. informal to raise petty objections or concern oneself with insignificant details

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