Synonyms

picky

American

[pik-ee] / ˈpɪk i /

adjective

pickier, pickiest

extremely fussy or finicky, usually over trifles.

picky British

/ ˈpɪkɪ /

adjective

informal fussy; finicky; choosy

"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

Other Word Forms

pickily adverb
pickiness noun

Etymology

Origin of picky

First recorded in 1865–70; pick ¹ + -y ¹

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.

She tends to select projects based on the script, but otherwise she isn’t picky.

From Los Angeles Times

The concept of being picky was born, though it was still so new a word that food marketers put it in quotation marks.

From The Wall Street Journal

If you’re feeding picky eaters, let everyone choose one thing they love.

From Salon

General Mills isn’t the only branded-foods company that has been hurt by pickier consumers.

From MarketWatch

If you’re cooking for picky eaters, let everyone choose at least one thing they love.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023