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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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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
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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

Words related to stickle

hesitate, vacillate, waver, balk, contradict, demur, differ, backfire, blanch, blink, cringe, flinch, reel, shudder, tremble, turn away, wince, cavil, challenge, combat

How to use stickle in a sentence

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
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