pedantic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The critic James Wood decried Mr. Barnes as “a thoroughly English writer,” meaning that he is clever and pedantic and emotionally repressed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

And the percentage of gold in the portfolio is always fixed at 1/7 — or, if you are pedantic, 14.29%.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

Our balancing act is, “How do we make something not pedantic, make it entertainment, make it so that you can do it, but also maybe shake people a little at the same time?”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025

It might sound pedantic to split hairs about the conspiracy theories that drive extremists like Mohn to do despicable things.

From Slate • Feb. 12, 2024

I felt drawn by professionalism to the edge of sterility, capable of no more than pedantic, lifeless, unassailable prose.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez