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Pernickety

Adjective

IPA /pəˈnɪkɪti/

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Meaning in plain English

Fussy or overly concerned with minor details; difficult to please.

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Pronunciation

Pernickety/pəˈnɪkɪti/

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The work is generally fine
Complaints about every tiny detail

A pernickety person is excessively fussy about small details.

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The editor was so pernickety that every comma had to be perfectly placed.
He’s too pernickety to enjoy camping—one bug and he's done.

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The editor was so ________ that every comma had to be perfectly placed.

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Pernickety — Fussy or overly concerned with minor details; difficult to please.

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Fussy or overly concerned with minor details; difficult to please.

Compare: The editor was so pernickety that every comma had to be perfectly placed.

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Pernickety, persnickety and careful

Pernickety is chiefly British; persnickety is a common American form. Both can suggest fussing over small details. Calling a person pernickety can sound critical, while careful or thorough may praise the same attention. Use the pattern pernickety about something.

In context: He was pernickety about the spacing on a casual birthday invitation.

Try it: You want to praise someone for checking important safety details. Is pernickety the clearest choice?

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Careful or thorough is clearer praise. Pernickety can imply that the details receive more attention than they deserve.

Compare with Fastidious →

Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Pernickety.

Word origin

Originally a Scots word, recorded in the early nineteenth century; its deeper origin is uncertain.

Did you know?

Pernickety is the British version of the American persnickety—both mean someone who fusses over the small stuff.

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