picky
Americanadjective
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:
If nothing else, it pays to be picky in the consumer space.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
The have-nots are doing everything that used to guarantee great jobs — refreshing resumes, optimizing LinkedIn profiles and doing interviews — but companies are much more picky these days.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Buyers are picky while prices and mortgage rates remain high, but homes in move-in condition can go quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
For those who crave it, being an online conspiracy theorist is a reliable source of attention and praise, especially if they aren’t especially picky about who it’s coming from.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
For some reason it hadn’t dawned on me earlier that I was cooking a very difficult meal for a group of very picky food experts.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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
CEO Kecia Steelman, during Ulta’s earnings call, said the pickier consumer sentiment seen last year would likely be alive and well this year.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 12, 2026
Americans from less-affluent households are becoming pickier about the purchases they make.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
As new economic policies, including those around tariffs, create more unease among businesses, companies are reining in costs while also being pickier about whom they hire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025
With multiple beach towel collections — from Disney designs to boho chic — Sand Cloud has towels for even the pickiest surfer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 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
The final result is barely distinguishable from its meaty counterpart, and guaranteed to fool even the pickiest eaters.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2021
He and his wife, Dawn, learned a secret about the dinner after their first visit in January: Don’t fill out the advance questionnaire with the idea of pleasing the pickiest palates in your family.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 14, 2018
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.
