picky
Americanadjective
-
pickier,
comparative
-
pickiest
superlative
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of picky
Explanation
If you're extremely particular or fussy, you're picky. A picky eater might only eat chicken nuggets and tater tots. When you invite your picky friend to dinner, you'll probably have a hard time deciding what to serve, since she hates all vegetables; and if you're picky about sleeping in a comfortable, clean place, you might not be a fan of camping. Picky people are hard to please — they like things to be a certain way. This informal word first appeared in the 1860s.
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.
See Examples For:
"Ella has been poorly in the past because of her severe picky eating - we had no choice but to give her ultra-processed food from a packet."
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Dietary restrictions and picky eaters mean cooking multiple dishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
If the language of “reparenting” works for you, then fine: hide your vegetables the way you would for a picky kid you were responsible for keeping fed.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I am terrible at book clubs because I have found that I am a very picky reader who simply will not read a book that I do not enjoy,” reader Mike Gascoigne writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
“The last place wouldn’t let me in because I’m too much of a picky eater. It’s not like this place. You can’t pick your food.”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
As the price of fuel and essentials stays high, it seems people are getting pickier about spending money on a day out.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Overall, that volatility has likely turned some investors off entirely, and those that remain are pickier, leading the most volatile staples stocks to trail their more stable peers and take bigger hits from bad news.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
General Mills isn’t the only branded-foods company that has been hurt by pickier consumers.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026
Americans from less-affluent households are becoming pickier about the purchases they make.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
The northern spotted owl is pickier — and smaller.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
Which specific group of clients do you find are the pickiest?
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2022
If ugly sweater patterns or footy pajamas aren’t going to make the cut, then maybe LilySilk’s highly sought-after trimmed pajamas will be enough to please the pickiest fashion fans.
From Fox News ● Dec. 15, 2021
Call the Closer In this new home improvement show, real estate expert Lauren Risley helps buyers — even the pickiest and most demanding ones — find just the right home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2021
Camillo’s rosato spritz, made with rosé and more bitter Campari, should satisfy even the pickiest spritz snob.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2019
Gramps implored us, but for four old guys, his friends were the pickiest eaters I'd ever known.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
