nitpick
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of nitpick
Explanation
When you nitpick, you focus on small, specific mistakes. An English teacher might nitpick by pointing out an unnecessary comma in your otherwise perfect 20-page paper. People who nitpick are bothered by minor problems — or else they're just looking for something to criticize. A movie critic who dislikes a director might nitpick about her latest film's slight inaccuracies. Your mom might nitpick about your outfit, saying, "It's a shame your socks don't quite match." Nitpick was first used in 1962, and nitpicker came first, from the idea that nitpickers search for faults the way they might pick nits, or lice eggs, from someone's hair.
Vocabulary lists containing nitpick
The View from Saturday
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Ask the Passengers
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If I had to nitpick, the tea wasn’t my favorite, but that’s a small complaint.
From Salon • Mar. 30, 2025
"You can nitpick and things like that. For me, if you asked me three years ago whether I'd be on this team... it's just a real honour."
From BBC • Aug. 8, 2024
Coach Mick Cronin suggested Tuesday a few things he might nitpick about the NIT that could prompt him to pass on college basketball’s second-tier tournament.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2024
I’ll admit, I showed up at the screening ready to nitpick and quibble.
From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2023
“Can we just move this along? We don’t have time to nitpick each other.”
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
