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Glite Dictionary
fiddly

fiddly

2 7.9
Hard to do because it has small, delicate parts
  • adjective
  • /ˈfɪdli/
  • UK
translation icon : complicado
  • Many of us have been bolting nano flashes onto f3s all year to make them palatable for HD broadcasters, but that is quite fiddly on a hectic shoot.
  • fiddly bits

Now this bit is quite fiddly.

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Examples

  • There are fiddly bits like the tripod socket being off-center and too close to the battery/SD card door.

    Blog text (13)

  • Here comes the most fiddly part of any PC build.

  • The controls of this one are little fiddly, but they work reasonably well.

  • This is when it gets rather fiddly, but there's the power switch.

  • Now, this is the fiddliest part of the whole build.

  • Car keys, house keys, and the little fiddly keys for padlocks.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • From memory (it's a long time ago), I found the gloves a bit fiddly but straightforward.

    Blog text (7)

  • Painting the carving of Katy and her dog was both tricky and fiddly.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Grama had suggested Jen simplify the pattern and replace some of the myriad fiddly bits with single larger pieces.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Assembling the model car was quite fiddly due to its tiny parts and intricate details.

Synonyms

difficult
vsfiddly
∞ 1.6

Not easy to do or understand

is specific to tasks made hard by tiny delicate parts rather than broad effort
tricky
vsfiddly
214 3.9

Difficult to do because it has hidden problems

highlights being hard to handle because of small delicate parts rather than hidden obstacles
intricate
vsfiddly
73 6.7

Having many small parts or details that are hard to understand

is about being hard to do because of tiny delicate parts rather than complexity
awkward
vsfiddly
71 2.5

Hard to move because of its size or shape

refers to things hard to do because of tiny delicate parts rather than shape
finicky
vsfiddly
12 7.1

Hard to please and careful about small details

focuses on tasks made hard by tiny delicate parts rather than personal fussiness
quite tricky
vsfiddly
1 5.1

Fairly difficult and needing some skill or care to do

is narrower, about tiny delicate parts making handling more delicate than general problems
ticky
vsfiddly
  • Informal
1 9.0

Having many small annoying details that make things difficult

is more about being hard to do because of tiny delicate parts than annoyance
unhandy
vsfiddly
5.8

Not easy to use or carry

means being hard to do because of tiny delicate parts rather than general inconvenience

Antonyms

simple
∞ 1.0

Easy to understand or do

straightforward
99 3.7

Something that is easy to understand and clear

How Difficult

impossible
∞ 1.4
difficult
∞ 1.6
fiddly
  • UK
2 7.9
tricky
214 3.9
easy
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

fiddly positive

Morphology

fiddly = fiddle (transparent) = fiddle + y

Meaning is directly derived from 'fiddle' + '-y' indicating something that requires or invites fiddling; learners who know 'fiddle' can readily infer this adjective.

Etymology

Fiddly comes from fiddle, which is a small violin and a verb meaning 'to touch or move small things', and it is like the word fidget. So a fiddly task needs many small, careful moves and can feel awkward or difficult.