Dictionary.com

stickler

[ stik-ler ]
/ ˈstɪk lər /
Save This Word!

noun
a person who insists on something unyieldingly (usually followed by for): a stickler for ceremony.
any puzzling or difficult problem.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of stickler

First recorded in 1530–40; stickle + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stickler in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stickler

stickler
/ (ˈstɪklə) /

noun
(usually foll by for) a person who makes insistent demandsa stickler for accuracy
a problem or puzzlethe investigation proved to be a stickler
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
FEEDBACK