pernickety

American  

[per-nik-i-tee] / pərˈnɪk ɪ ti /

adjective

1. persnickety.

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pernickety British  

/ pəˈnɪkɪtɪ /

adjective

1. excessively precise and attentive to detail; fussy

2. (of a task) requiring close attention; exacting

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Other Word Forms

• pernicketiness noun

Etymology

Origin of pernickety

1800–10; originally Scots; of uncertain origin; the prefix per- occurs in a number of other expressive words in Scots, e.g. pergaddus thump, clatter, perskeet fastidious, perjink trim, neat

Example Sentences

Someone else who worked with Mr Raab said his behaviour was "arbitrary, pernickety" and he was "very hard on junior staff" and "extremely difficult to work with".

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2023

"To tell the story of Glastonbury is difficult," protests my Penguin guide's pernickety author, "so cunning is the mixture of legend and history."

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2018

The character was already written as a pernickety fussbudget but Daniels tuned into his damaged quality also.

From The Guardian • Sep. 3, 2015

Indeed, so far only Britain has formally adopted all of its obligations under the 1998 Rome statute, from witness protection to sentence enforcement and pernickety rules on privileges and immunities.

From Economist • May 27, 2010

Recently, after enduring more than half a century of relentless, pernickety attention, the ornamental garden had been abandoned.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy