as in careful
hard to please
an Oxford don who's definitely a pernickety old chap
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Recent Examples of pernickety
Perhaps this pernickety attention to detail is just the next logical step after years of falsification?
—
Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2020
Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pernickety
Adjective
-
Watch out for slippery roads: Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
25 May 2025
-
Many participants with conflicting ideologies also reported cohabiting peacefully for the most part, while being careful not to bring up divisive topics and focus on their similarities instead.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
Hydrangeas can be a bit finicky and may take a few weeks to months to settle in.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
31 May 2025
-
But the finicky weather usually makes for a shorter window.—
Ben Ayers,
Outside Online,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
What would the notoriously persnickety Corbitt say about those bold additions?—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
17 May 2025
-
Jonathan Pryce plays the persnickety headmaster who prefers to keep politics outside the school walls.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
Upon arrival, visitors can take a leisurely stroll along the shoreline and bask in the beauty of the many palm trees, while tiny fish and crustaceans can be found thriving within its natural rock pools—but there’s one animal in particular that draws visitors to Punaluʻu Beach in droves.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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For this particular piece, the author has considerable direct experience in using some of these models as well as many other similar camera models, adding further credence to the pros and cons of each camera's performance.—
Damian Peach,
Space.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
But this approach is a bit fussy for me—I'd rather keep it low-key and bring as few valuables to the beach as possible.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
28 May 2025
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Compared to hearty, flexible grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot is the fussy artist in a world of engineers.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
The Braves are not in a position to be picky about defense.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Sometimes gratitude came easily, such as when Deb helped their kids, who were picky eaters, become more adventurous.—
Rhaina Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
Advertisement Advertisement Anderson has been accused of many things: putting style before substance, being too sardonic as to lack emotionality, leaning too hard into nostalgia, becoming too fastidious for his own good.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
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In the past several weeks, President Donald Trump, who has never been fastidious about separating public and private business, has been involved in a remarkable number of potential conflicts of interest.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
The nausea is now mostly in the past, Lauren says, and the Lanes are realizing that getting ready for a third child isn’t as demanding as earlier preparations.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
30 May 2025
-
Work and home will be equally demanding, as Venus meets with Jupiter on June 4.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pernickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pernickety. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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