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:
Grizzly bears are — were — omnivores, not picky eaters, and also lazy ones, noshing on berries, roots, acorns, beached whale carcasses and any laggardly young elk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
People should "be a bit less picky" about fresh produce, she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“You, the picky eater, watching anything to do with food?” my mother asked.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
If nothing else, it pays to be picky in the consumer space.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
And Nigeria is not a nation of people with food allergies, not a nation of picky eaters for whom food is about distinctions and separations.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Like Chen at Brandywine, he has been getting pickier about which consumer lenders he’s willing to finance.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 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
"I've started to say no and not just take any job that's kind of coming my way. I'm being pickier," she says.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
Americans from less-affluent households are becoming pickier about the purchases they make.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
Some are pickier than others, “although nobody’s as particular as Barbra ... she’s always a challenge and that’s one of the reasons I love working for her.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2025
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
The final result is barely distinguishable from its meaty counterpart, and guaranteed to fool even the pickiest eaters.
From Salon ● Mar. 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.
