Nitpicking: meaning, definitions and examples
🔍
nitpicking
[ ˈnɪtˌpɪkɪŋ ]
in criticism
The act of looking for small or unimportant errors or faults, especially in order to criticize unnecessarily.
Synonyms
criticism, fault-finding, hair-splitting
Examples of usage
- He was known for his nitpicking when it came to proofreading documents.
- She was tired of his constant nitpicking about the cleanliness of the house.
in everyday conversation
Focusing on insignificant details or finding fault in trivial matters.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- Her nitpicking about the color of the curtains was starting to annoy everyone.
- I don't have time for your nitpicking over the font size in the presentation.
Translations
Translations of the word "nitpicking" in other languages:
🇵🇹 criticar minuciosamente
🇮🇳 सूक्ष्म आलोचना
🇩🇪 Kleinkariertheit
🇮🇩 mengkritik secara rinci
🇺🇦 прискіпливість
🇵🇱 czepialstwo
🇯🇵 粗探し
🇫🇷 chipoter
🇪🇸 criticar minuciosamente
🇹🇷 kılı kırk yarma
🇰🇷 트집
🇸🇦 التدقيق في التفاصيل
🇨🇿 přepjatá kritika
🇸🇰 prílišná kritika
🇨🇳 吹毛求疵
🇸🇮 natančno kritiziranje
🇮🇸 smásmuguleg gagnrýni
🇰🇿 ұсақ-түйекке сын айту
🇬🇪 წვრილმანი კრიტიკა
🇦🇿 incə işarə
🇲🇽 criticar minuciosamente
Etymology
The term 'nitpicking' originated in the 1960s and combines 'nit', meaning a louse egg or something very small, with 'pick', meaning to remove something or select carefully. The idea of meticulously removing tiny flaws or errors led to the current usage of the term to describe someone who focuses excessively on minor details or faults.
Word Frequency Rank
Ranking #39,074, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.
- ...
- 39071 cohered
- 39072 remorsefully
- 39073 habituating
- 39074 nitpicking
- 39075 gaga
- 39076 idolizing
- 39077 hurler
- ...