English Explanatory Dictionary

pernickety

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Fussy; paying undue attention to minor details; fastidious.
  2. Requiring attention to minor details.

Pronunciation

/pəˈnɪk.ɪ.ti/ /pəˈnɪk.ə.ti/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pernickety.wav [pəˈnɪk.ə.ɾi]

Word forms

pernickety more pernickety most pernickety persnickety

Etymology

From Scots pernickety, persnickety, apparently from per- + nick (“a notch, mark, cutting retort”) + -et (“-ed”) + -y; equivalent to English per- + nick + -ety; literally, “marked up”, then “overly precise”. The alternative form persnickety, with s, may be due to substitution of Scots sneck (“a cut, notch”) for nick. Compare also Scots variants pernicked, pernicket, pirnicky, and pernicky.

Synonyms

niggly persnickety anal-retentive choosy conscientious dainty exacting fastidious finical finicking finickity finicky finikin fussy hypercritical lily-handed meticulous nitpickish nit-picky nitty overcritical overscrupulous particular pedantic pernickety picky

Derived words

finickity pernicketily pernicketiness
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