Showing results for nit-picking. Search instead for unit Checking.

Definitions

nit-picking

ADJECTIVE

captious

Synonyms

WEAK

acrimonious cantankerous carping caviling cavillous censorious contrary crabby cross demanding deprecating disparaging exacting exceptive fault-finding finicky hypercritical irritable nagging overcritical peevish perverse petulant sarcastic severe testy touchy

Antonyms

WEAK

commendatory complimentary encouraging flattering laudatory praising

ADJECTIVE

carping

Synonyms

STRONG

bellyaching caviling criticizing disparaging griping grousing grumbling kvetching moaning nagging niggling quibbling whining

WEAK

censorious critical deprecatory fault-finding grouchy hypercritical overcritical scathing

Antonyms

WEAK

complimentary forgiving

ADJECTIVE

critical

Synonyms

STRONGEST

demanding

WEAK

analytical belittling biting calumniatory captious carping caviling cavillous censorious censuring choleric condemning critic cutting cynical demeaning derogatory diagnostic disapproving discerning discriminating disparaging exacting exceptive finicky fussy hairsplitting humbling hypercritical lowering nagging niggling overcritical particular penetrating reproachful sarcastic satirical scolding severe sharp trenchant withering

Antonyms

WEAK

complimentary laudatory praising trivial uncritical unimportant

ADJECTIVE

exacting

Synonyms

STRONGEST

harsh imperious onerous painstaking precise rigid rigorous strict stringent

STRONG

taxing trying

WEAK

burdensome by the book careful critical difficult exigent finicky fussy grievous hard hypercritical oppressive particular persnickety picky severe stern tough unsparing weighty

Antonyms

STRONGEST

careless easy easygoing flexible inexact lenient loose mild soft tolerant yielding

WEAK

giving lending

ADJECTIVE

fault-finding

Synonyms

WEAK

captious carping fussy hairsplitting hard to please hypercritical nagging niggling overcritical pettifogging quibbling

ADJECTIVE

finicky

Synonyms

STRONGEST

choosy fastidious fussy scrupulous squeamish

WEAK

critical dainty difficult finical finicking fussbudget hard to please nice overnice persnickety picky stickling

Antonyms

STRONGEST

uncritical undemanding unfussy

WEAK

easy open

ADJECTIVE

fussy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

choosy conscientious discriminating finicky scrupulous squeamish

WEAK

careful conscionable dainty difficult exact exacting fastidious finical fretful fuddy-duddy hard to please heedful overfastidious painstaking persnickety picky picky-picky punctilious punctual querulous stickling

Antonyms

STRONGEST

careless uncritical unscrupulous

WEAK

undemanding unfussy

ADJECTIVE

hard-to-please

Synonyms

WEAK

choosy critical demanding detailed finicky fussy meticulous particular picky scrutinizing

Antonyms

WEAK

undemanding

ADJECTIVE

hypercritical

Synonyms

WEAK

carping caviling censorious critical demanding faultfinding finicky fussy hair-splitting hard to please niggling overcritical persnickety

ADJECTIVE

inkhorn

Synonyms

WEAK

abstruse academic arid bookish didactic doctrinaire donnish dry dull egotistic erudite formal formalistic fussy hairsplitting learned literary ostentatious overnice particular pedagogic pedantical pompous priggish punctilious scholastic schoolish sententious stilted

ADJECTIVE

overcritical

Synonyms

WEAK

analytical belittling biting calumniatory captious carping caviling cavillous censorious censuring choleric condemning critic cutting cynical demanding demeaning derogatory diagnostic disapproving discerning discriminating disparaging exacting exceptive faultfinding finicky fussy hairsplitting humbling hypercritical lowering nagging niggling particular penetrating reproachful sarcastic satirical scolding severe sharp trenchant withering

ADJECTIVE

particular

Synonyms

STRONG

dainty nice rough stickler tough

WEAK

careful choicy choosy critical discriminating exacting fastidious finical fussbudget fussy hard to please meticulous persnickety picky

Antonyms

STRONG

easy

WEAK

common general imprecise indefinite indifferent inexact nonchalant ordinary undemanding undiscriminating unimportant usual

ADJECTIVE

pedantic

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abstruse pompous stilted

WEAK

academic arid didactic doctrinaire donnish dry dull egotistic erudite formal fussy hairsplitting learned ostentatious overnice particular pedagogic priggish punctilious scholastic schoolish sententious

Antonyms

STRONGEST

plain simple

WEAK

imprecise informal

ADJECTIVE

pedantical

Synonyms

WEAK

abstruse academic arid bookish didactic doctrinaire donnish dry dull egotistic erudite formal formalistic fussy hairsplitting inkhorn learned literary ostentatious overnice particular pedagogic pompous priggish punctilious scholastic schoolish sententious stilted

ADJECTIVE

prim

Synonyms

STRONGEST

demure

STRONG

correct spruce stickling tidy uncluttered

WEAK

Victorian blue-nose ceremonial ceremonious choosy cleanly conventional dapper decorous fastidious formal genteel good goody-goody nice orderly overmodest polite precise priggish prissy proper prudish puritanical rigid shipshape spick-and-span stiff straight strait-laced stuffy upright well-groomed wooden

Antonyms

STRONG

untidy

WEAK

informal rumpled

ADJECTIVE

quibbling

Synonyms

STRONG

complaining griping niggling

WEAK

fault-finding hairsplitting

NOUN

criticism

Synonyms

STRONGEST

denunciation objection

STRONG

animadversion aspersion blast brickbats carping cavil censure cut disparagement faultfinding flak hit knock opprobrium pan quibble reproof roast slam slap static stricture swipe vitriol zapper

WEAK

Bronx cheer bad press call down caviling critical remarks panning put down rap on knuckles slap on wrist

Antonyms

STRONG

approval compliment flattery praise sanction

WEAK

estimation guess supposition

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.

Some may see such criticisms of “The Holdovers” as nit-picking, or an attempt to rain on Randolph’s parade.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024

Gaining any new clarity about surging reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, will take time, better data gathering and diagnostic tools and, perhaps most importantly, a hale and hearty dose of nit-picking scientific scrutiny.

From Scientific American • Jun. 9, 2023

I’m on the Kael side of this divide, and this repurposing, linking Kael with a hack biographer, rubbed me the wrong way, but that’s life, and it’s nit-picking, and it’s a whole other freeway.

From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2023

"Maybe there are a couple of little bits you could tighten here or there, but I think it's really nit-picking."

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2022

Hubler had the same nit-picking argument with Deutsche Bank, with a difference.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

nit-picking

Example Sentences

Related Words