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

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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