ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Pernickety

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /pəˈnɪk.ɪ.ti/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Pernickety is an adjective meaning Requiring attention to minor details.

Meaning

Requiring attention to minor details.

More Meanings

  1. (chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) Fussy; paying undue attention to minor details; fastidious.

Example Sentences

‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’

Word Forms

Synonyms for pernickety

Depending on context, synonyms include niggly, persnickety, anal-retentive, choosy, conscientious, dainty.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include persnickety, fastidious, nitpicky, finicky, niggly, nitty.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.