persnickety

[per-snik-i-tee]

See more synonyms for persnickety on Thesaurus.com

adjective Informal.

overparticular; fussy.
snobbish or having the aloof attitude of a snob.
requiring painstaking care.

Also pernickety.

Origin of persnickety

1885–90; orig. Scots, variant of pernickety

Related formsper·snick·et·i·ness, noun

Synonyms for persnickety

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1. nitpicking, finicky.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for persnickety

careful, choosy, fastidious, finicky, nice, picky

Examples from the Web for persnickety

Contemporary Examples of persnickety

His keepers fed the beast copious amounts of port, Champagne, and whiskey to pacify the persnickety pachyderm.
Zebra Finches, Dolphins, Elephants, and More Animals Under the Influence
Bill Schulz
December 31, 2014
Radar acquisition has always been a persnickety thing to test properly on Earth.
Curiosity’s Mars Landing Narrated Moment by Moment by Flight Director Keith Comeaux
Keith Comeaux
August 7, 2012
In the early years, she was regarded as persnickety but a helpful ally who returned calls promptly.
The Fall of California Democratic Campaign Treasurer Kinde Durkee
Christine Pelisek
March 29, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for persnickety

persnickety

adjective

the US word for pernickety

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

Word Origin and History for persnickety

adj.

1889, alteration of pernickety (q.v.).