- excessively precise and attentive to detail; fussy
- (of a task) requiring close attention; exacting
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
per•nick•et•y
(pər nik′i tē),USA pronunciation adj.
per•nick′et•i•ness, n.
- Informal Termspersnickety.
- 1800–10; origin, originally Scots; of uncertain origin, originally; the prefix per- occurs in a number of other expressive words in Scots, e.g. pergaddus thump, clatter, perskeet fastidious, perjink trim, neat
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pernickety /pəˈnɪkɪtɪ/, US persnickety adj informal
per•snick•et•y /pɚˈsnɪkɪti/USA pronunciation also per•nick•e•ty /pɚˈnɪkɪti/USA pronunciation
adj. [Informal.]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Informal Termsvery fussy;
paying too much attention to details:the persnickety English teacher who notices every comma that's in the wrong place.
per•snick•et•y
(pər snik′i tē),USA pronunciation adj. [Informal.]
per•snick′et•i•ness, n.
- Informal Termsoverparticular;
fussy. - Informal Termssnobbish or having the aloof attitude of a snob.
- Informal Termsrequiring painstaking care.
- origin, originally Scots, variant of pernickety 1885–90
- 1. . nitpicking, finicky.
'pernickety' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):