to pick at
10
5.7
- phrasal verb
- /pɪk æt/
- Even when he tries to clean up his act, she always finds something to pick at him about.
- pick at each other
- always pick at
- pick at little things
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Watch on YouTubeMany people try to pick at the shortcomings of their high performers to keep them in line.
- Many people try to pick at the shortcomings of their high performers to keep them in line.
- Like he used to pick at me in public over my mom where I was like, you are literally picking at like my deepest wound.
- Fighting is my nightmare, but I like picking at Shane with my small annoyances throughout the day publicly, you know, it feels better that way.
Examples
-
Many people try to pick at the shortcomings of their high performers to keep them in line.
-
The way that people pick at each other and are so cruel in the comment section is so sad.
Blog text (2) -
Why are you picking at Jack this way?
Fiction book (1990) -
But you keep picking at anyone who calls you out on it, as I have for the last few years.
Blog text (23) -
My boss has started picking at me over tiny, stupid things," she said.
Blog text (1) -
He picks at me constantly in a way that he finds fun, but I find tiring.
Blog text (2) -
Some people just love to pick at minor mistakes instead of appreciating the overall progress.
-
He tends to pick at every detail of her work, which makes collaboration difficult.
-
It's frustrating when others constantly pick at your ideas without offering constructive feedback.
Synonyms
201
3.5
To say mean things to someone again and again because they seem weaker
52
5.0
To make someone or something seem not important
36
4.6
Always complaining in an irritating way
34
5.3
To criticize someone or something without a good reason
33
7.7
To speak badly about someone or something to show little respect
25
5.6
To complain repeatedly about small things
25
6.7
Talk again and again about the same thing and annoy people
20
5.7
To complain about very small unimportant mistakes
17
5.2
To find faults in ideas or work by pointing out small problems
5
8.1
To make quick, unfair critical remarks about someone or their ideas
1
8.2
To argue about very small, unimportant details
1
9.9
Argue about small, unimportant details and waste time
Antonyms
How Critical
Surface Forms
Morphology
pick + at
The primary sense of gently touching or nibbling (eating only a small amount) is directly related to 'pick' (remove small pieces) directed 'at' a target, so a learner who knows the constituents can likely infer the basic meaning. However, the verb+preposition combination extends metaphorically to doing things slowly or reluctantly, a nuance that is less strictly predictable from the parts alone, so full comprehension without exposure is not guaranteed.
Etymology
Pick at may come from the picture of someone picking at a scab or a piece of cloth, always finding tiny faults or loose threads. That's why it means 'to repeatedly criticize or find fault with someone or something'.