stickler

[ stik-ler ]
/ ˈstɪk lər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR stickler ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who insists on something unyieldingly (usually followed by for): a stickler for ceremony.
any puzzling or difficult problem.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stickler

First recorded in 1530–40; stickle + -er1

Words nearby stickler

sticking plaster, sticking point, stickit, stickle, stickleback, stickler, stickler syndrome, stickley, stickman, stickout, stickpin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to stickler

taskmaster, nitpicker, disciplinarian, fanatic, enforcer, riddle, mystery, paradox, enigma, twister, stumper, teaser, zealot, contender, haggler, higgler

Example sentences from the Web for stickler

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