Nitpick: meaning, definitions and examples

🔍
Add to dictionary

nitpick

 

[ ˈnɪtˌpɪk ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

picky about details

To nitpick means to focus on small, trivial details or faults, often in a critical or pedantic manner. It involves finding minor flaws or errors that may not be significant in the grand scheme of things.

Synonyms

be overly critical, be pedantic, find fault, split hairs

Examples of usage

  • He always nitpicks about punctuation in emails.
  • She tends to nitpick every little mistake in our work.
  • Don't nitpick over insignificant details.
  • I don't mean to nitpick, but there is a typo in this document.
  • The teacher nitpicked at the formatting of our essays.

Translations

Translations of the word "nitpick" in other languages:

🇵🇹 detalhar

🇮🇳 नुकसान निकालना

🇩🇪 herumreiten

🇮🇩 mengkritik hal-hal kecil

🇺🇦 придиратися

🇵🇱 czepiać się

🇯🇵 細かいことを気にする

🇫🇷 pinailler

🇪🇸 dar importancia a detalles

🇹🇷 dedikodu yapmak

🇰🇷 트집 잡다

🇸🇦 انتقاد التفاصيل

🇨🇿 přehnaně kritizovat

🇸🇰 zbytočne kritizovať

🇨🇳 挑剔

🇸🇮 prikrajati

🇮🇸 pinna

🇰🇿 тұздықтау

🇬🇪 ბრძოლა

🇦🇿 xırda məsələlərə toxunmaq

🇲🇽 criticar detalles

Etymology

The term 'nitpick' originated in the mid-20th century, combining 'nit,' referring to a louse egg, and 'pick,' meaning to remove or separate. The image is of someone meticulously removing tiny 'nits' or flaws, much like picking nits off a strand of hair. Over time, the word has evolved to refer to the act of focusing on trivial details or faults.

Word Frequency Rank

At position #41,934, this word is among the less frequently used terms in English. While interesting to know, it's not crucial for most English learners unless needed for specific purposes.