pedantry

[ ped-n-tree ]

See synonyms for pedantry on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural ped·ant·ries.

the character, qualities, practices, etc., of a pedant, especially undue display of learning.
slavish attention to rules, details, etc.

an instance of being pedantic: the pedantries of modern criticism.

Origin of pedantry

First recorded in 1575–85, pedantry is from the Italian word pedanteria.See pedant, -ry

Words Nearby pedantry

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

How to use pedantry in a sentence

The rumble at Hofstra was thrilling—a heady blend of testosterone and pedantry.
At Last, a Passionate Political Debate! | Tunku Varadarajan | October 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Seldom can testosterone and pedantry have come together in an American political debate in such electrifying marriage.
At Last, a Passionate Political Debate! | Tunku Varadarajan | October 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The dogmatism and pedantry upon which it is based are easily confuted.
American Sketches | Charles Whibley
Without discretion learning is pedantry and wit impertinence; virtue itself looks like weakness.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources | James Wood
At first, oddly enough, it was my instinct for pedantry and linguistic learning that drew me to Byron.
Tramping on Life | Harry Kemp

Yet the accent was frankly Northern, and the diction free from any obtrusive elegance or trace of pedantry.
The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
Peace to thy honest spirit; for thou wert wise without vanity, learned without pedantry, and joyous without vulgarity.
Prices of Books | Henry B. Wheatley

British Dictionary definitions for pedantry

pedantry

/ (ˈpɛdəntrɪ) /

nounplural -ries

the habit or an instance of being a pedant, esp in the display of useless knowledge or minute observance of petty rules or 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

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