pernickety

9.4

Being very careful about small details in a way that annoys others

adjective
/pərˈnɪkɪti/

: meticuloso

For example, in Casino Royale, we learn a very useful generalization from Bond himself when he justifies his "pernickety and old maidish" attention to the minutiae of his meals: "'You must forgive me,' he said."

Examples

"What has changed you that you are now as pernickety as an old maid?" he asked.

Fiction book (1991)
How the new brand is being labeled may be pernickety, but it is not part of a writer's job to ensure that all the copy they produce is accurate and correct to the best of their knowledge.

Blog text (33)
The Indians are pernickety.

Eyes of Fire (1983)
She can be quite pernickety about keeping her desk neat and free of clutter.
His pernickety nature meant that even the smallest mistake in the report was unacceptable to him.
To avoid any issues, the pernickety chef insists that all ingredients be measured precisely.

Synonyms

particular

vspernickety

106 4.4

Careful about small details and hard to please

is more negative, meaning excessive attention to trivial rather than useful details

picky

vspernickety

67 4.7

Being hard to please about food or small details

focuses more on trivial details and excessive precision than mere selectiveness

meticulous

vspernickety

58 8.6

Being very careful about small details

is negative, stressing needless attention to trivial details rather than useful care

fussy

vspernickety

24 3.9

Easily annoyed and hard to please about small things

is similar but stresses the unnecessary precision rather than annoyance

nitty

vspernickety

Informal

16 7.4

Pays close attention to small details

is about unnecessary trivial detail focus rather than essential attention

prissy

vspernickety

Informal

13 7.9

Too fussy about being neat and proper

is more broadly about trivial detail focus rather than cleanliness or shock

pedantic

vspernickety

13 8.1

Paying too much attention to small rules or details, often annoying others

is similar but usually lacks the showy scholarly or rule focus

finicky

vspernickety

12 7.1

Hard to please and careful about small details

is more about small unnecessary worries than about exact careful work

fastidious

vspernickety

8 8.0

Very careful about small details and being clean, often hard to please

is closer to annoyance and trivial focus rather than exact carefulness

nitpicky

vspernickety

Informal

4 7.9

Paying too much attention to small unimportant details and criticizing them

is similar but emphasizes excessive fussiness rather than careful precision

persnickety

vspernickety

Informal

4 9.8

Being very picky about small details

is the more neutral term for the same excessive focus on details

punctilious

vspernickety

Formal

1 8.9

Being very careful about small details and correct behaviour

is more about excessive trivial concern rather than strict decorum

ticky

vspernickety

Informal

1 9.0

Having many small annoying details that make things difficult

is used for people who give excessive attention to trivial matters

pettifogging

vspernickety

Archaic

9.9

Paying too much attention to small unimportant details that annoy other people

is similar but highlights general excessive attention to unimportant details

picayunish

vspernickety

Archaic

9.9

Giving too much attention to small, unimportant details

is broader, covering general fussiness rather than only petty behavior

niggly

vspernickety

9.2

Paying too much attention to small, unimportant details

is similar but commonly used without the strongly critical tone

hair-splittingly precise

vspernickety

Informal

8.1

Too careful about small details when it is not needed

is about excessive focus on trivial matters rather than useful precision

hairsplitting

vspernickety

8.1

Too focused on small unimportant details in a discussion

is broader and applies to general fussy attention to small details

overly fussy

vspernickety

6.1

Too worried about small details and hard to please

is mainly used to mean excessive attention to trivial matters

finical

vspernickety

9.9

Careful about small details and hard to please

is similar but focuses more on annoying or trivial detail fussing

finickety about

vspernickety

9.1

Being very picky about small details when choosing or arranging things

is the same excessive focus but not limited to specific items

piccy

vspernickety

9.9

Careful and picky about small details and choices

is the general adjective for excessive fussiness not limited to informality

Antonyms

easygoing

22 2.6

Being calm and relaxed and not easily upset

careless

14 1.0

A lack of attention that causes mistakes or harm

How Fussy

fastidious

8 8.0

meticulous

58 8.6

pernickety

9.4

picky

67 4.7

fussy

24 3.9

particular

106 4.4

Surface Forms

pernickety positive

pernicketer comparative

pernicketest superlative

Etymology

Pernickety probably grew from the parts per-, an old 'very', and nicety, a 'small, precise detail'. A helpful way to remember it is that a pernickety person is 'very' focused on tiny details, which is why the word means being fussy about small things.