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.

By taking on Brontë’s book, Fennell was doomed to stare down millions of overly pedantic literature sticklers, people who prefer their adaptations pure and untainted.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

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

“One can read entire histories of American car culture and find no mention of Japanese or Asian American involvement,” Wang writes — but that’s about as pedantic as “Cruising J-Town” gets.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2025

Environmental films that are pedantic, prescriptive, or hold audiences by the collar to make them feel bad do more disservice than good, he says.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 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