stickle

[ stik-uhl ]

/ ˈstɪk əl /

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See synonyms for: stickle / stickling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), stick·led, stick·ling.

to argue or haggle insistently, especially on trivial matters.

to raise objections; scruple; demur.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of stickle

1520–30; variant of obsolete stightle to set in order, frequentative of stight to set in order, Middle English stighten,Old English stihtan to arrange; cognate with German stiften,Old Norse stētta to set up

Words nearby stickle

stick in one's craw, stick insect, stick-in-the-mud, stickit, stick it to someone, stickle, stickleback, stickler, Stickley, stickman, stick-on

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stickle in a sentence

At the usual hour that night the employés of Stickle and Screw left work and took their several ways home ward.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
Some species of fish, notably the stickle-back and the bass, make nests and mother their young.
Sex=The Unknown Quantity|Ali Nomad
I would not stickle about hours, but the money and the drink are very just.
Sybil|Benjamin Disraeli
Harrison Stickle, 'the next neighbour of Pavey Ark, is another happy hunting-ground for beginners.
Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England|W. P. Haskett Smith

This and the other gills between it and Stickle Tarn afford good climbing up the walls by which they are enclosed.
Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England|W. P. Haskett Smith

British Dictionary definitions for stickle

stickle

/ (ˈstɪkəl) /

verb (intr)

to dispute stubbornly, esp about minor points

to refuse to agree or concur, esp by making petty stipulations

Word Origin for stickle

C16 stightle (in the sense: to arbitrate): frequentative of Old English stihtan to arrange; related to Old Norse stētta to support

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

stickle

Origin of stickle

Words nearby stickle

Words related to stickle

How to use stickle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stickle

Word Origin for stickle